Fruitfulness

My mother was a passionate gardener for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I wasn’t the least bit interested because of the hard work required.  

But now that I’m grown, I’ve come to enjoy the garden seasons myself. 

This summer the girls were highly insistent on planting watermelons.  We discovered the hard way, that unlike other garden plants, watermelons require much more intentional care.  They are very delicate and are entirely reliant on a consistent watering schedule in order to produce bigger and sweeter fruit. 

There were many days when we were away this summer therefore missed vital watering periods during the growing phase of the plant.  Upon our return the watermelons were the only plants that visibly displayed major interruptions to their growth.  In fact, although at the start there were many little fruits, we were only able to enjoy a select handful of grown, mature melons. 

There happen to be an evident correlation between watering and the amount of fruit produced. 

Fruitfulness is also a term often used biblically to describe the life of a believer.  In order to become fruitful, we too, must be consistently and regularly watered.  

Jesus said he is the one and only source of living water (John 4:10).  

The amount of time we regularly spend with Jesus (in the word and prayer), will directly affect the rate in which we spiritually grow and produce fruit.  

Notice Jesus gave three different rates of fruit production …

brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold (Matt. 13:8KJV)

Quite ironic because the psalmist also claims devoting to prayer on 3 separate occasions...

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray,…(Ps. 55:17 NKJV)

Another translation states 

Evening, and morning, and noon, I meditate…(Ps 55:17 YLT)

Notice the direct correlation between time spent in his presence to spiritual fruitfulness?

Just like plants often have watering periods where more hydration is required for them to thrive, we too must have periods in our lives where we intensify time spent with Jesus.  It will directly affect the rate and proportion of which we produce spiritual fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. (Matt. 13:8 NASB)

 

 

Supporting Text

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed,…( Da. 6:10)

It was planted in good soil by many waters, To bring forth branches, bear fruit...( Ez.17:8)

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Is. 58:11)

In that day— “Sing about a fruitful vineyard:I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. (s. 27:3)