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Growth and Fruit Bearing, June 7
That your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in
all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye
may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
Philippians 1:9, 10
.
It is the Lord’s desire that His followers shall grow in grace, that their
love shall abound more and more, that they shall be filled with the fruits
of righteousness.... Where there is life, there will be growth and fruit
bearing; but unless we grow in grace, our spirituality will be dwarfed,
sickly, fruitless. It is only by growing, by bearing fruit, that we can fulfill
God’s purpose for us. “Herein is my Father glorified,” Christ said, “that ye
bear much fruit” (
John 15:8
). in order to bear much fruit, we must make
the most of our privileges. We must use every opportunity granted us for
obtaining strength.
A pure, noble character, with all its grand possibilities, has been pro-
vided for every human being. But there are many who have not an earnest
longing for such a character. They are not willing to part with the evil that
they may have the good. Great opportunities are placed within their reach.
But they neglect to grasp the blessings that would place them in harmony
with God. They work at cross-purposes with the One who is seeking their
good. They are dead branches, having no living union with the Vine. They
cannot grow.
One of the divine plans for growth is impartation. The Christian is to
gain strength by strengthening others. “He that watereth shall be watered
also himself” (
Proverbs 11:25
). This is not merely a promise; it is a divine
law, a law by which God designs that the streams of benevolence, like the
waters of the great deep, shall be kept in constant circulation, continually
flowing back to their source....
Christians, is Christ revealed in us? Are we doing all in our power to
gain a body that is not easily enfeebled, a mind that looks beyond self to the
cause and effect of every movement, that can wrestle with hard problems
and conquer them, a will that is firm to resist evil and defend the right?
Are we crucifying self? Are we growing up unto the full stature of men
and women in Christ
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Signs of the Times, June 12, 1901.
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