On an early morning walk, I spotted something blocking the path ahead of me. Several yards down the sidewalk, a massive bunch of tree branches had spilled over a white fence. The branches were weighed down with mature, red apples! The fruit was everywhere—far too many to count. As I neared the tree, I had to step off the sidewalk and move into the wet grass to get around the overflowing mass.
Like a thriving fruit tree during the harvest season, Paul noted that the gospel message was bearing fruit everywhere in the ancient world (Colossians 1:6). The fruit, he said, was lives that had been changed. Paul’s observation wasn’t simply hearsay. He had been spreading the message himself and watching the fruit multiply—both within the lives of Christ-followers and numerically as more and more people came to understand God’s grace.
The good news of Jesus is still changing lives today. When a person believes in the power of Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sin (Romans 3:23-25), that person receives salvation and a deep sense of hope. It’s a “confident hope of what God has reserved for [us] in heaven” (Colossians 1:5). According to Paul, this hope perpetuates our faith and stimulates our love for other people—especially toward our believing brothers and sisters (Colossians 1:4).
Anyone who has this hope should want to share it (Acts 20:24). And yet, it can be hard to know when and how to pass on the message. Thankfully, the effectiveness of the gospel—its ability to bear fruit everywhere—doesn’t depend on the delivery or the messenger. The power is in the message itself. Paul said, “[The good news] is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 13:1-21
More:
Read John 4:35-36 to see what’s in store for the sharer and the receiver of the good news.
Next:
How would you summarize the gospel message? How has it changed your life?
Gary Shultz on August 8, 2016 at 4:01 am
Hi Jennifer, interesting cords of though today. God’s bid to us with His love gave us power within, and to minister to other believers as a body and to show love without. Good stuff, although my attention focused on your perception “it can be hard to know when and how to pass on the message”. Thank you. There is a very cautious, guarded, and in some cases “anti-Christ” spirit that saturates society. Our approach need not be in fear; however, it should be with wisdom and the leading of God’s Spirit. Not welcomed is the splashing around of judgement and religious terms. Yes, I think that the fruit of the Spirit is and should be seen by a grasping world, sometimes we need to be seen doing a lot of walking not talking. The Romans 10 passage is still just as good today, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Thanks Jennifer
corgimom on August 8, 2016 at 6:11 am
Gary, I love your thought “We need to be seen doing a lot of walking and not talking!” What we say is often completely contradicted by our actions, and non-Christians are very quick to point that out. Thank you, this helps me to keep focused on me and my relationship with God, and then God will use that in His way to influence others — which may involve witnessing verbally or not!
ecclesiastes on August 8, 2016 at 7:18 am
Yes, the glory of God’s creation is everywhere for us to see. But more importantly we are called to reflect His gloryto those we meet in our lives and actions. Let us lift up our eyes from the daily grind to see God everywhere and to proclaim His message of Love and Mercy.
jesusking32597 on August 8, 2016 at 8:28 am
The Gospel message is the saving power of the Lord Jesus. His suffering, death and resurrection are a power testimony to the truth. After I placed my trust in Jesus and after my subsequent rededication, my life has been changed in ways that I cannot put into words!
sandy229 on August 8, 2016 at 9:48 am
Praise God!!
jennifer benson schuldt on August 8, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Amen! Thank you for sharing how Jesus has changed your life. It’s impossible to really know Him without becoming wonderfully altered by Him.
sandy229 on August 9, 2016 at 6:39 pm
Amen Jennifer and thank you for your devotion today.
Marlena Graves on August 8, 2016 at 9:36 am
What a great reminder that God’s word and actions in the world bear fruit. Sometimes we can get so bogged down by what we don’t see. God works even when our delivery is clumsy or not spot on. That is encouraging when we might feel that despite our efforts in Jesus’s name not much of anything is happening. We must trust God for the work and be obedient knowing that he will bring the fruit about.
youssef1777 on August 8, 2016 at 9:36 am
CONFESS OUR SINS . THE LORD LOVE US NO MATTER HOW WE ARE DOING VERY BAD THINGS , LEFT THOSE IN PRAYER. GOD IS FAITHFUL TO REMOVED FROM US . PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS LOVE FOR US . GOD BLESS ALL .
youssef1777 on August 8, 2016 at 9:42 am
WE HAVE TO SHOW TO ALL PEOPLE THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT BY SHOWING LOVE AND CARE. GOD BLESS ALL .
jennifer benson schuldt on August 8, 2016 at 3:52 pm
Thank you for encouraging us to live out Jesus’ words in Matthew 5. Talking to His disciples, He used the idea of lighting a lamp. “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”(v.15,16.). Showing kindness is one way to shine His light to the world around us.
godlove on August 8, 2016 at 10:52 am
I’m very grateful to God for the blessing of letting me receive the Gospel message and enabling me to believe it. I’m also thankful that “the effectiveness of the gospel doesn’t depend on the delivery or the messenger; the power is in the message itself.” This gives a lot of hope to someone like me concerning my ability to share the good news. Great joy indeed awaits both the sharer and receiver of the gospel as Jesus tells us in the passage from the More section. Having “enjoyed the joy” of being a receiver of the gospel, I pray for help from the Spirit to be a good sharer as well, without fretting too much over “when” and “how”, for the glory of His Name. Thanks for this encouragement, Jennifer. Blessed week to all.
hsnpoor on August 8, 2016 at 11:29 am
Yes, and AMEN, godlove! The power is the message itself…. it’s JESUS who saves and we would do well to remember that and act accordingly. I know I’m preaching to the choir…:). Lord, I pray that each one who reads these words this day will be given the open door and privilege to share the Gospel message with someone today!
godlove on August 8, 2016 at 3:49 pm
Amen, hsnpoor. Well, you know the choir does need to hear the preaching as well 😉
hsnpoor on August 10, 2016 at 12:18 am
Lol!!
jim spillane on August 8, 2016 at 12:55 pm
It just so happens that at my church we just started studying the Epistle to the Colossians a couple of weeks ago. My pastor reminded the congregation that we support a missionary group in Turkey ( old Asia Minor) and the head of the group was commenting, in a recent letter, that it is becoming quite dangerous to be a Christian in this part of the world. As a point of history, the pastor referenced this exact verse (1:6) to show how pleased Paul was with not only the spreading of the gospel but the fruit it was producing not only in Colossae, but also in the other nearby seven churches of Asia Minor that are specifically mentioned in the New Testament. It seemed to Paul that it was “going out all over the world.” So what happened? Today, Turkey is predominantly an Islamic nation and Christians are becoming fearful for their lives. How could the “seed that was producing good fruit” loose it’s firm roots? It seems as though the “weeds” have nearly overtaken the “good harvest.” Why?
jennifer benson schuldt on August 8, 2016 at 4:16 pm
Thank you for your questions. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I have a comprehensive answer. The “seed that was producing good fruit” may still be producing good fruit, only in smaller numbers, due to physical persecution taking place in the area you mentioned. The Bible tells us not to be surprised if we encounter trouble specifically because of the name of Christ (1 Peter 4). Although we don’t know why persecution is permitted in the context of world history, our knowledge of it today can urge us to pray for our brothers and sisters and to help them in any way possible.
sandy229 on August 9, 2016 at 6:36 pm
In many nations, the Bible is banned, it’s illegal. In North Korea, anyone caught with a Bible will be sentenced to imprisonment in a labor camp. In Iran Christians caught distributing Bibles are sent to prison. In Brunei, Bible importation is forbidden. In Maldives, Christians cannot read God’s Word openly. Through the Voice of the Martyrs, Bibles are being secretly distributed in more than 50 hostile countries and they are equally determined to continue delivering Bibles to every hostile and restricted nation, regardless of the conditions and obstacles. Some of the stories I hear about are really heartbreaking where they turn families against each other if they are given a Bible and accept Jesus as their Savior. Also in Iran, they paint a “mark” on the doors of people claiming to be Christian, then later they are killed in front of their families and the others are taken away. Many of them are secretly reading their Bibles and teaching their children about Christ. This is fruit bearing brought on by the volunteers in the VOM, where ever they go they produce fruit. Governments and radical groups take offense at their faith in Jesus Christ, confiscating and burning their Bibles, persecuting the children of God.
Tom Felten on August 8, 2016 at 4:02 pm
Jennifer, thanks for these encouraging words—words that declare at least two vital truths: 1) God’s kingdom-building will not be thwarted. He continues to produce fruit in the lives of people around the globe. 2) This fruit is not of our doing. The Holy Spirit works in and through us to produce it. And so, I’m praying for bushels full of fruit to be manifest in the lives of those in the ODJ community this week!
susieq23 on August 8, 2016 at 10:07 pm
I agree that nothing will thwart the message as Tom said above, because the power is in the message itself as Jennifer said, and I love being reminded of that, but in the world around us today the enemy sure is fighting hard and sometimes it feels like the message is being thwarted and I have to fight to not grow discouraged and continue to believe in the power of what God is still accomplishing through His people around the world. I keep thinking about how much we need a revival.