Our Fruitfulness Comes From God

No matter what direction you look you will see people whose lives are in shambles. We all know people with addictions who are fighting a losing battle. We are witnesses to marriages that are falling apart, shattered by infidelity and crushed by divorce. Children are left in the wake of marital discord and are reeling to find their own way. Angry men, depressed women, anxious people trying to cope, children who can’t concentrate, all this adds up to a lot of unhappy people all around us. Many of these very people are us.

When will we ever learn that our source of happiness and fulfillment comes from God? When will we stop running to and fro looking and searching every avenue, but never finding anything that satisfies? We still feel empty, alone and as if our life has no direction.

The book of Hosea was written to the nation of Israel to ask them this very question. When would they turn from their idols and substitutes and turn to God? God plainly tells them through his prophet, “Your fruitfulness comes from me” (Hosea 14:8).

The most important ministry the church can do today is let people know that Jesus is the only answer to their dilemmas. God created us, and so he naturally knows what we need to be fruitful and productive. When we turn our lives over to Jesus, it’s absolutely amazing what he can do in us and through us.

Joseph proves this point. After being sold into slavery by his brothers and suffering more indignity and injustice in Egypt, Joseph was finally exalted to prime minister of the land. Joseph named his first son; he called him Manasseh which means, God has made me forget all my trouble. He named his second son Ephraim, which means God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction (Gen 41:51-52). What an astounding testimony that Joseph attributes to God. First, helping him get past the resentment and forgive those who hurt him. Secondly, then to plant him in this strange land and make him flourish.

Joseph was never meant to be a one-time example, but rather a prime illustration of what God wants to do in all our lives. No matter what your situation is, God can transform it into something better if you surrender control of your life to him. Remember that your fruitfulness comes from God.