December 15: A Productive Life

Have you ever heard an orange tree grunt? I know that sounds strange, but by the end of this article, it will make perfect sense.

Marcus Buckley is senior pastor of Terry Parker Baptist Church in Jacksonville.

When my wife, Lea Ann, and I moved to Jacksonville four years ago from Ormond Beach, my parents decided to "retire" to Jacksonville as well and make the move with us (I'm sure the fact that we were expecting our first child had nothing to do with it!). But like many people, they were just not the retiring kind. My parents are still fairly youthful (That "fairly" may get me in trouble.) and they were not quite ready to sit on the porch in their rockers all day. My mother works in an area hospital, continuing her two decades in the medical profession; and my father works in the yard, plays with his cars, serves as a deacon and Sunday School secretary in our church-everything he can to stay active and productive! Their desire is to live a life that is full: a productive life.

Every born-again believer should have the same kind of a desire to live a spiritually productive life. The key to living this life is not finding within ourselves the strength to do so, but to surrender our all to Christ and His power and allow Him to work through us as He lives in us. Jesus spoke of this to His disciples in John 15, illustrating the point by describing Himself as the Vine (the source of life) and the disciples as the branches (the recipients of life). Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15: 4, 5). We cannot bear the fruit of the Christian life; we cannot be productive for the Kingdom of God, unless we are abiding in Christ. The word "abide" means to dwell in as a place of residence, to stay. We who are believers in Christ, having fully surrendered our lives to Him, are to continually remain in and with Him. We are able to accomplish otherwise impossible feat because He is dwelling with us. What an incredible thought: the Creator of everything-the eternal God comes and lives within us! That ought to make you want to shout!

Notice the productivity that results from dwelling in Christ and allowing Him to dwell in you: Jesus says that we will "bear much fruit" (John 15:5). If Jesus said that the one who abides in Him will bear much fruit, why are we satisfied with producing just enough to get by? Suppose that you have an orange grove and sell oranges to make a living. Which would you rather have--a tree that produces 5 oranges or a tree that produces 100 oranges? Suppose you own several restaurant franchises. Do you want those stores to be in the bottom group of producers, or at the top? Would you rather own a Cracker Barrel or a little run-down shack that doesn't make enough to pay for the supplies, never mind the staff?

Productivity is not an option for a believer. Jesus said, "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain" (John 15:16a). We were appointed to fulfill the task of productivity for the Kingdom of God. The Great Commission of Matt. 28:19-20 is not a Great Suggestion! We have been called and placed where we are, who we are, for a reason. It doesn't matter who you are, where you are, how old you are, or what you've been through. If you are a believer, then Christ dwells in you, and you are to dwell in Christ. When this co-dwelling takes place the way it should, the production of much fruit is not an effort. It is an easy, natural flow of the way things should be. Have you ever heard an orange tree grunt?