Exceeding fruitful

Please excuse me if you find my thoughts a little confusing today. I have felt lifeless and dull all week, and I knew that there was something bothering me but I did not know what. I yearned for something more in my life. What was it? I had a hunger that was not being satisfied. Reading these words this morning brought it home to me.

I will make thee exceeding fruitful.

I don't know about you but for me life is a balancing act, or perhaps a juggling act! What do I mean? Well, how often do I begin on a Monday morning with good intentions of doing this that and the other, yet come Tuesday evening I have not accomplished even one of the tasks that I had set out to do?

I will make thee exceeding fruitful.

My congregation is expecting a new Pastor, and I for one am looking forward to the start of a new ministry on our Island. It is good that three vacant congregations have been filled and I am sure that the new Pastors, though fearful, have an expectant hope that reviving power will accompany their new ministry.
I wonder whether in their minds they have a plan that they would dearly love to put into effect, a plan that would not only benefit their congregation but would also make the best use of their time?
I am sure that many zealous and faithful preachers are armed with that sort of thinking, but how many of them succeed? Is their vision for another time?

I will make thee exceeding fruitful.

How much time is given to the pastors of our congregations to actually perform the task he was originally called to do? Are Pastors content with being sidetracked with endless committees and unnecessary meetings? I think we add to their dilemma by inviting them to do things that may sound quite legitimate and reasonable yet are far removed from their calling.
Juggling priorities can prove an impossible task and it can leave us more stressed as a result. We want to do our best and to provide a solid witness for our Lord. We want to be the best parents we can be. We want to love our partners as best we can and we want to give our lives to the Lord - all in 24 hours!!!! I truly hate 'buzz' words but I have to tell you that I have a fervent desire to be a 24/7 light in this world!

I will make thee exceeding fruitful.

Working from home as I do I often wonder how much time I should give to work and how much time I should spend working on this site and how much time I should spend with my children.
I could tie myself in knots worrying about it and, believe me, some days I do, especially when I lay my head on my pillow at night and ask myself what I have achieved today.
The Lord knows how to order my day and my way if only I will let Him.
In thinking about that I was encouraged by these six words this morning. 'I will make thee exceeding fruitful.' Yes I know that they were addressed to Abram, but today they were applied to my soul and my condition and they met my need.
Bearing fruit for my Master is my highest desire in life. I have learned that without Him I can do nothing, absolutely nothing! Abiding in Him is the only way for me to produce fruit. If the branch is cut off from the root or stem then where will it get its supply of nourishment?

I will make thee exceeding fruitful.

It is when I TRY to do things in my own strength and under my own steam that things tend to become muddled. Thankfully, returning to the Vine brings refreshment, vitality and vision. The difficulty is staying there! Lord help me to abide in Thee.

I will make thee exceeding fruitful.

If I abide in the vine, then He promises that He will make me exceeding fruitful. But I get extremely frustrated and impatient when I don't see things turning out as I had hoped. It is usually then that I tend to take over the reigns and try to steer the course that I want!

I will make thee exceeding fruitful.

We do not need to be Pastors or even to hold office in our churches to bear fruit. We simply have to be willing to be used by God. It is easy to hold up our hands and say, 'well I have no talents, so what can I do?'