Flourishing in Every Good Work

Scripture — Colossians 1:9-10 (NRSV)

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.

Devotion

In the first few verses of his letter to the Colossian church, the Apostle Paul speaks of the gospel as “bearing fruit and growing” (1:6; see the Life for Leaders devotion for last Wednesday). The good news of God’s grace in Christ will be fruitful when it is proclaimed, understood, and embraced in faith.

One result of this is that the church will grow. But church growth is not the only way in which the gospel bears fruit. A couple of verses later in Colossians, Paul writes:

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God (1:9-10).

Now, the Colossian Christians aren’t the fruit, as in verse 6. Rather, they are the fruit producers. They are the ones who “bear fruit in every good work” (1:10).

Notice that we are to “bear fruit in every good work.” Our fruitfulness is not limited to the good works we do that are obviously religious. Yes, for sure, we can be fruitful by teaching Sunday School, serving as a deacon in church, feeding the hungry, working for justice for the oppressed, giving generously to our local church, leading a small group, and so forth. But we can also live fruitfully by caring for our grandchildren, nursing an aging parent, tutoring students in our local elementary school, tending a garden, painting a portrait, selling real estate, serving on the city council, mentoring younger leaders, managing a staff, or starting a new business. Yes, even starting a new business can be part of your God-honoring fruitfulness! (By the way, you might be impressed to learn that more people in the third third of life are starting new businesses than people in any other age group. This finding comes from the Kaufmann Foundation, the country’s leading organization focusing on entrepreneurship.)

The mission of the De Pree Center is “to equip leaders to respond faithfully to God’s callings in all seasons of their life and leadership.” We could just as well say that our mission is “to equip leaders to flourish in every good work in all seasons of their life and leadership.” Yes, in all seasons, and also in all contexts, situations, and opportunities. We want to help you bear God-honoring fruit in your job, family, church involvement, mission engagement, community service, artistic endeavors, household chores, and, well, you name it!

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: God at Work, Jesus at Work (Colossians 1:15–20).