LIVING A FRUITFUL LIFE IS A CHOICE!

ROMANS 6:20-23: “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God,  you have your fruit, which results in sanctification, the outcome is eternal life! For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Am I living a fruitful life? Is my life filled with memories of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and grace working on my behalf? Or, is my life filled with a series of wrong choices and regrets? Although we do not have the ability to produce fruit within ourselves…

Living a fruitful life is a choice!

The word slavery evokes many emotions. It is a word that reminds us of the mistakes our nation has made in its past and the ongoing fight against the atrocities of human trafficking. When we think about slavery, we do not think about anything within the word or the concept that is redeemable.

The Bible does not support slavery. Many, in the past, twisted the Scriptures to support their views. However, while the Bible does not support slavery, it dealt with a culture that embraced it. The goal of the Scriptures was to proclaim God’s plan of salvation and lead us into personal freedom. The Apostles proclaimed this personal message of freedom to both the free and the enslaved. Paul always focused on the aspect of freedom in Christ above all else.

1 Corinthians 7:21-24: “Were you called while a slave? Don’t let it concern you. But if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity. For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of people. Brothers and sisters, each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called.”

Also, in the book of Deuteronomy, we read about one who is a Hebrew who was sold into slavery because he could not pay his debts. He was sold to another Hebrew and was allowed to work 6 years to pay off his debts, but was to be released in the seventh year. However, if he loved his master, he could willingly become a slave for life.

Deuteronomy 15:12, 16-17: “If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year. But if your slave says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you, take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way.”

It is the concept of the bond-slave that Paul uses when he talks about our devotion to Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul notes that we are all slaves to something in our lives. We are either the slaves to our old sinful nature, or we are willing slaves who have freely devoted our lives to Jesus Christ. Paul notes that who we choose to serve determines what kind of fruit we will produce in life.

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God,  you have your fruit, which results in sanctification, the outcome is eternal life! For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We don’t like to think of our lives in terms of slavery. Jesus died to set us free. He never calls us to become enslaved and serve Him unwillingly. Jesus calls us to become bond-servants who give our lives freely to Him out of our love for Him. It is this bond, our enslavement to His love, that is the key to our fruitfulness. If we slip back to our old understanding of life, we can be abused by sin, self, and the devil. Yet, if we freely give ourselves as bond-servants to Jesus Christ, we will experience life and peace, now in this life, and eternal life when we die.

Jesus spoke of this same truth when He called us to abide in the vine.

John 15:1-6: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine;   you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit,   because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire,   and they are burned.”  

Fruitfulness in life is a choice!

Every day I have to make a choice. Who am I going to serve? Who am I going to yield my life to? Who am I going to abide in? The choice I make will determine the fruit in my life. Paul reminds us of the fruit of our old sinful life. It is not something we are proud of. Why would we ever want to return to it? Paul calls us to the fruit of a life surrendered to Jesus Christ as a bond-servant. It is the fruit that leads to sanctification and eternal life. It is the fruit of the Spirit that is produced in us as we abide in the vine – Jesus Christ, our Lord.

I cannot produce this fruit, but I can choose who I am going to serve!

Bob Dylan wrote a song a long time ago that comes to mind as I think about the choice I have in life. Each morning as I begin my day, I need to position my heart. Who am I going to serve? Who am I going to trust? Who am I going to abide in?

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk

You may be the head of some big TV network

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame

You may be livin’ in another country under another name

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes, you are

You’re gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)

Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)

Paul reminds us – the choice is clear! Serve the Lord Jesus Christ and experience the fruit that leads to sanctification and the gift of eternal life! The call to become a bond-servant to Jesus Christ is not only a choice we make when we believe. It is the choice we make moment by moment when we live. It is the choice that brings us to freedom and ushers us into the presence of God, both now and when we cross over from death to eternal life.

Heavenly Father, this morning, by Your grace, I choose to surrender my life anew and become a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, my Lord!

In Jesus’ Name!