You shall bear much fruit
You shall bear much fruit
When you struggle in your service to the Lord, don't throw in the towel. Remember that your life of service is not a prerequisite for God's love.
A life of service had not gone the way he had hoped. Instead of seeing success, Elijah saw that what he did had little influence. From Elijah’s perspective, two options remained: either continue to tackle an impossible task or throw in the towel. Deeming the former foolish and the latter logical, Elijah quit.
The struggles of Christian living
More than one child of God has found himself under Elijah’s broom tree ready to give up. Not intentionally, of course; it just happens. The child of God, filled with love for the one who freely gave himself into death for sinners, longs to live in a way that glorifies God. He strives, with all of his energy, to serve the Savior by serving others. Knowing that the strength for Christian living comes not from self but the Spirit, the child of God turns regularly to the Word of Life. He recalls each day his adoption into the family of God through Holy Baptism. He frequently dines at the Lord’s Table, receiving the Savior’s body and blood under the bread and wine. In other words, he follows the Lord’s recipe for holy living.
But what he witnesses in his life bears little resemblance to the picture on the recipe card. Expecting an abundance of deeds of love, he notices an abundance of transgressions in their place. He thought he’d have put those pet sins to sleep and made holy living a habit. Instead of selflessness, he detects a growing selfishness. Instead of a life increasingly different than the world around him, he observes that he has blended in with the crowd. Even a redoubling of efforts seems to yield the same result: failure.
The enemy’s “solution”
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