Garry spoke this morning from Colossians 1:9-14 on the subject ‘Harvest Time.’ Paul prays in these verses that the Colossians would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and wisdom so that they could please Him by bearing fruit.
Repentance leads to a changed life (see Matt 3:7-9). Jesus spoke about the fruitfulness that comes from abiding in Him (John 15:1-8); our effectiveness comes from our connection to God (see Luke 13:6-9). If we refuse to produce fruit, this means we are rejecting what God is telling us (see Matt 21:42-44). To surrender to God is not easy, but constant dependence on God is the only thing that leads to lasting fruit. We are called to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, growing His fruit (Gal 5:22-3, Eph 5:8-9) which consists of all goodness, righteousness and truth. God affects our character and our behaviour.
One of the ways in which fruit is seen is through our witness to Jesus (see Luke 24:46-48, Acts 1:7-8). We can’t guarantee the results of our witness, but we can influence others as we are open in talking about who God is and what He has done for us. We should pray for opportunities to witness and be prepared to ‘speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.’ (1 Peter 3:15)
Being filled with the knowledge of God’s will and wisdom helps fruit to grow in us. It puts us in the right condition to produce characters and opportunities to tell what God has done for us and others. As we understand better who He is and what He is like, we are shaped and changed. As we live, we will have opportunities to tell others what God is doing, which will produce fruit in other people’s lives as well as our own.