The Science of Fruitfulness
 
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Psalm 1 envisions the Christian life as a fruitful tree. This big ol’ fig tree, planted in an ideal spot, soaking up the fresh water of life, with a steady leaf and regular seasonal fruiting. This is a beautiful picture; it’s inviting. You want to put together a picnic and head for that spot.

That’s what we want to be: we want to be inviting, healthy, and strong. We want to be effective and fruitful. We want the knowledge of Jesus to produce Jesus-full fruits in our lives. What does that take? How does that work? From a simplistic perspective, you put a seed in the ground by the river—you plant your life by the Gospel—and lo-and-behold! Fruit!

But let’s talk “scientifically.” How does the sweet water get from the river to the fig? How does the cooling, life-giving sauce move from the roots to the shade-giving leaves?

How does Psalm 1 work?

This is such an important question. Have you ever felt ineffective and unfruitful as a Christian? That’s super frustrating! You wonder, “Am I defective? Maybe I’m just enough of a screw-up to be useless to Jesus. He loves me like a three-legged dog, but I can’t run down any game.” Or you wonder, “Does the Gospel work? Here I am sharing Jesus and telling people about the Bible and… diddley-squat!” We all feel this way from time to time. Why? What to do?

2 Peter 1:8 alludes to an explanation: “if these qualities are yours and are increasing they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

First of all, this means that you can be fruitful and effective. You can be. And it also identifies the culprit for our ineffective discipling and unfruitful Christian lives: we’ve stalled in the progress of our faith, stalled in our discipleship-journey.

These qualities” that are to be “yours and increasing” are the example traits given in verses 5-7. It’s a hodge-podge of characteristics that help turn our faith in Jesus into the love of Jesus for others. Zoom out a little and it’s a picture of a person’s spiritual journey, how they become an effective, “made,” disciple.

Here’s the key idea: discipleship is a journey into joyful service. Discipleship is the process of being healed by Jesus’ love. Discipleship is the process of being enlightened by His wisdom. So discipleship is the science of spiritual fruitfulness.

“Scientifically” speaking, as the love of Jesus enters our root-system it is passed from capillary to capillary up to places in our “tree” that are diseased or are being attacked by bugs. There it fights back. And it flows to every limb and branch—it enlivens the whole tree, bringing life to the far reaches of our lives. But that’s not all.

Discipleship is also the process of being equipped for ministry (Eph 4:12). The love of Jesus isn’t just for us, but emerges from the branches as shade-giving leaves—our peaceful presence of welcome to the people in our lives—and as fruit—the us-shaped Jesus-juice of service and Good News.

Discipleship is a journey to personal healing and transformation. But discipleship is also a journey to joyful service of others.

God’s people have always existed for something. We bear witness. We testify. He puts His heart in us, making us His heart to His whole world. With the life of a serving-God pumping through us, we become servants too. His joy becomes our joy as His heart becomes our heart.

The Spirit is steering us toward joy. Discipleship is a journey into joy. And this joy is both my individual sense of peace, welcome, and love, and also my sense of being effective, fruitful, fulfilling a purpose, living a life filled with meaning.

Our self-indulgent, self-fixated, culture hunts for meaning and significance in work, in travel, in hobbies, in activism. But we were made for love. We were made to care for others in humble acts of service that all at once express our strengths and graces and also draw the hurting out into the light of love. It’s a beautiful thing: you, fully alive, and them, truly beloved. It’s what we crave. When we see it, however refracted—in a Fred Rogers or a Mother Theresa or a Jean Vanier—we’re transfixed.

That’s what the Spirit is working on. That’s what the church is designed to facilitate. That’s what the Word is feeding.

You can be fruitful and effective. The knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ can become sweet grace and life-giving peace in you. How? The discipleship journey. As these qualities become ours and increase, we become effective and fruitful—the Gospel becomes effective and fruitful through us.

Discipleship is the science of spiritual fruitfulness.

Friends, all the successes, accomplishments, status, accolades, rewards, awards, and achievements the world offers cannot be compared to the moment when you-as-you share Jesus in love with a person and they get it: they receive it gratefully as love. See, we were made for fruit. Fruit was made for the eye-brightening smile, when hunger fades, thirst is quenched, and praise rushes forth. We were made for joy. Fruit is joy. Service can be joy. It’s not an easy journey or a quick one. But it’s worth it.

So take the journey. Grow, little tree, grow. Make these qualities yours. Are they increasing? You will not be ineffective for long. Come harvest time, your branches will be thick with joy. They will gather to you and praise the sweetness of Jesus. And they will say,
Thank you.

Photo by Elevate on Unsplash