Pay Attention to Your Fruitfulness

Scripture — Genesis 1:27-28 (NRSV)

So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

Devotion

We have a Meyer lemon tree in our backyard. I take no credit for this, other than keeping it alive for the last ten years. It was planted by the previous owner of our house. She chose that species of tree because Meyer lemons are unusually sweet. In fact, they’re a hybrid between a lemon and a mandarin orange.

Our Meyer lemon tree produces fruit in the late winter and early spring. When it does, watch out. Even though our tree is relatively small, it is stunningly fruitful. I’m talking about dozens and dozens of lemons. There’s no way my family and I can use all of those lemons, so we give some away and my wife squeezes the rest, freezing the juice for later. This means we have delicious Meyer lemon juice for several months. Quite a treat!

Our Meyer lemon tree serves as a fine illustration of what God intends for each one of us. We are meant to be fruitful in this life. We learn this from the first chapter of the Bible where the very first command God ever gave to human beings emphasizes fruitfulness. It says in Genesis 1:27-28:

So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

In Genesis 1, human fruitfulness certainly includes making more people to help in the task of filling and governing the earth. But human fruitfulness isn’t limited to making babies and helping them grow up. Rather, fruitfulness is a matter of producing “fruit” in all areas of life, in work and family, in school and church, in community and generosity, and so forth.

Fruitfulness is not only for the early seasons of life, by the way. The ageist culture in which we live often assumes that older adults have outlived their time of fruitfulness. But the Bible tells a different story. Moses, for example, was 80 when God called him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt (Exod 7:7). Abram, later called Abraham, was 75 when God called him to leave home and travel to the land God would show him (Gen 12:1-4).

The examples of Abram and Moses illustrate a profound truth about aging, something we find in Psalm 92:12-15 where it says,

The righteous flourish like the palm tree,

            and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

They are planted in the house of the LORD;

            they flourish in the courts of our God.

In old age they still produce fruit;

            they are always green and full of sap,

showing that the LORD is upright;

            he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Did you catch that? Those who are righteous, that is, in a right relationship with God, and who are planted deeply in God, will “flourish.” “In old age they still produce fruit” (92:14). We don’t age out of fruitfulness. Yes, the fruit we produce when we are older may be different from that of our younger years, but God expects us to be appropriately fruitful in all seasons of life. God supplies what we need to be fruitful when we are deeply connected to God’s grace and power.

If we have any uncertainty about the importance of fruitfulness in life, the teaching of Jesus in John 15 should take away our doubts. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” Notice that our fruitfulness isn’t a matter of what we do on our own. It isn’t about working harder or even smarter. Rather, fruitfulness has to do with abiding in Jesus, making our home in him, drawing sustenance and life from him. A few verses later, Jesus adds, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (John 15:8). Because we are not the original source of our fruitfulness, when we live fruitful lives, God receives the glory. Being fruitful in life is a major way in which we can glorify God, that which is fundamental to our human purpose.

As you seek to clarify your purpose in life, let me encourage you to pay attention to where you have been fruitful in the past and where you are being fruitful in the present. Where has your work – either paid or unpaid or both – made a difference in the world? Where have you made an impact? Where are you doing so right now? Your answers to these questions may very well help you to discern your purpose in life.

If you’re not sure how best to answer these questions, I’d encourage you to talk with a few people who know you well and who will make an effort to be truthful with you. They might help you see what you’d miss on your own.

Tomorrow I’ll share a personal example that connects fruitfulness and purpose. For now, let me encourage you to consider the questions for reflection that I included in the previous paragraph.

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: Fruitfulness/Growth (Genesis 1:28; 2:15, 19-20).