Increase you in the knowledge of Him.In our walk to follow Jesus Christ and to be found worthy&blameless when he returns to reign we do realise that we cannot be stagnant but rather we have been called to bear fruits,fruits of righteousness,fruits that come from being united with Christ and the fellowship of the Holy spirit yes this journey of transformation and growth is not overnight but rather a process,a long road a narrow road sometimes you will miss your turn all you have to do is stand at the cross road and ask for the way to go ask Jesus for he is the way he is always there to lead guide and direct that's why he is our shepherd(ps 23:1,he is the way John 14:6)...just like a new born they don't stay newborn but rather they grow and grow until they learn to sit without support,crawl,try to stand up by holding on things,learn to walk and fall on their tush,when they fall they don't stay down rather they get up and do it again till they get it right.For us sons and daughters of God through the blood of Jesus and receiving him and believing in his name he has given the right to become sons of God(John 1:12)Therefore Peter encourages us as newborn babies,we should crave pure spiritual milk,so that by it we may grow up in our salvation,now that we have tasted that the Lord is good(1 Peter 2:2).and also to increase in the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus through this simple steps given to us by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus and true servants of God,prophets who remained faithful to the testimony of Christ Jesus and to the end and they laid a very good foundation and left us a perfect example of how Christ has been glorified in them,through persecution,tribulations,painful trials and rejection but in the end they shall receive a crown of honour i pray so in the name of Jesus(Peter,Paul,John and all others,Isaiah,Jeremiah,Ezekiel,Moses,Joshua,Elijah,Zachariah,and other great epitomes in the holy bible).therefore all you need to make your calling sure has already been given to us all we need is to ask God to teach us in his holy spirit because Peter reminds us in 2Peter 1:3 that in his divine power(God's divine power that resurrected Jesus)has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness as we continue to abide in Christ Jesus we are guaranteed of this and out of him then no guarantee that's why we have to abide and remain the lord Jesus...concluding 2 peter 1:5-9 for this very reason,make every effort to add to your faith goodness,and to goodness,knowledge,and to knowledge self control,and to self control,perseverance,and to perseverance godliness and to godliness,brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love.For if you possess this qualities in increasing measure,they will keep you from being unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.But if anyone doesn't have them,he is near sighted and blind and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.So you do realise that all these are the fruits of holy spirit,the fruits of righteousness and that's what will help us in every step in the Lord...be exceedingly blessed and may the Lord God of heaven and earth creator of all cloth you in the garments of righteousness and the robes of salvation as you eagerly desire to do his will and grow in him through Jesus our Lord...grace and peace be multiplied to you in abundance.Much love Hephzibah!
Yes, increase or fruitfulness is not a cosy option but an inevitable MUST when it comes to the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. After all, it is the only means through which our King’s Domain can be expanded to the uttermost of the earth.
ReplyDeleteTo parables in the New Testament reveals Our Lord’s (Jesus Christ) heart against unfruitfulness in the strongest terms. The first is the parable of the five talents in Mathew 25:14-30, in verse 27 we hear the Lord rebuking the slothful servant for ‘he ought to have put His money to the exchangers, and then at His coming He should have received his own with usuary’. The consequences meted against the slothful servant in verse 30 are very drastic but strongly tells of our Lord’s feeling against unfruitfulness. It says ‘And cast ye the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth’.
The second Parable is that of Jesus cursing the Fig Tree in Mark 11:12-14. Here we see Jesus dishing out an eternal curse, vs 14b‘No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever’. The interpretation of the parable of the unfruitful fig tree in itself is said to be applicable to the nation of Israel and of how they stood in danger of temporarily being put to one side if they continued in their unbelief which brings about unfruitfulness. Woe is us if we are not fruitful!