IncreaseSample

Increase in Fruitfulness

The house I grew up in had a large yard, and my parents were both farmers’ kids. That meant my childhood weekends were filled with early-morning weed-pulling and trips to local nurseries. The plants of choice were citrus trees: lemon, orange, grapefruit; you name it, we planted it.

Everyone enjoys eating fruit when it’s on the table, but not as much the dirty hands and scratched arms that come with cultivating it, unless your perspective shifts to “enjoying the fruit of your labor.” When you understand the value of the process, the harvest becomes that much sweeter.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, pens this prayer:

Colossians 1:10 (NIV)

“So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

There’s so much we can take away from this passage, but let’s focus on this: God’s desire for our lives is that we would be fruitful. When we walk in His will, whatever we put our hands to will be blessed. God’s blessing doesn’t look like barely scraping by—it looks like overflow.

Scripture calls that abundance:

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Let’s go back to the fruit trees...If you’ve ever had one in your yard, you know that a fruitful season means you have enough for yourself and to share with everyone else—your neighbors, coworkers, and friends. That’s what true fruitfulness looks like: having enough to bless others. If you don’t, you still know when it’s harvest season because the breakroom at work is filled with ripe fruit.

The same goes for your spiritual fruitfulness. When you’re filled with joy, the people around you can’t help but be lifted by it. When you’re full of the love of Christ, everyone you encounter becomes a recipient of that love.

So today, pray that God would make you fruitful in all that you do, and that He would increase your fruitfulness, so that you and everyone you encounter would become beneficiaries of His blessing flowing through you.

Reflections & Application:

1. Examine Your Fruit

“When we walk in His will, whatever we put our hands to will be blessed.”

• What areas of your life currently show the fruit of God’s blessing?
• Are there areas where you’ve been striving instead of abiding in Him?

2. Share Your Overflow

“A fruitful season means you have enough for yourself and to bless others.”

• Who around you can benefit from the “fruit” God has produced in your life—your time, encouragement, wisdom, or resources?

3. Pray for Increase

“Pray that God would make you fruitful in all that you do, and increase your fruit.”

• What would it look like for your life to move from enough to overflow?
• Ask God to expand your capacity to produce fruit that blesses others—spiritually, relationally, and practically.