Fruitful Now and Fulfilled in the Future Sýnishorn

NEITHER BARREN NOR UNFRUITFUL

A story is told of a poor woodcutter who earned his living by cutting wood in the forest and selling it in the market. He was earning about hundred rupees ($1.30) a day. One day, the landlord of that village, a rich man and a philosopher, called the woodcutter and made an offer to him. He offered him two hundred rupees ($2.60) a day if he would cut logs of wood in his backyard. The woodcutter was confused when the landlord asked him to cut wood with a blunt edged axe. Nevertheless, he started cutting but by lunch time he was perspiring profusely and his muscles were aching but no wood was cut. He wanted to quit but the landlord was prepared to pay even a thousand rupees ($13.50) a day if he would continue cutting the wood with the blunt edge. The woodcutter refused. The landlord wanted to know why and the woodcutter said, “Sir, I don’t mind even if you pay me just hundred rupees a day. I want to cut wood with the sharp edge of the axe. Because, when I cut wood I want to see chips flying.” 

Like the poor woodcutter, we too would like to see ‘chips flying' in what we do. But is our axe sharp, or is it blunt? God assures us that if we do certain things we can sharpen our axe and see ‘chips flying' in our life, work and ministry. Peter in his second letter exhorts us to add virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love to our faith. These will keep our axe sharp.

Another word for virtue is excellence. We must give our best. If I am preaching, I may not preach like Billy Graham but I must do my best; and the next time I must better my best. If I do not put all my effort into preparing and practicing, God cannot make my preaching fruitful. 

To faith and virtue, we must add knowledge. God says, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” Knowledge is multi-faceted. We must be God-aware, self-aware and people-aware. We must know who God is and how He acts in the lives of people. The Word of God is a rich resource. When we dip into it, we become God-aware. As we surrender to God and pray, God will help us to become self-aware. We can pray with the Psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; . . . see if there is any wicked way in me (139:23, 24). 

Self-control can help us to resist temptation and keep us from evil, blunders and acting foolishly. God gives it as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Paul reminds Timothy that “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of sound mind (self-control) (2 Timothy 1:7).

Likewise when we persevere, seek to be godly, kind to all and in an attitude of love, then we will be fruitful. There will be a future of blessing when we trust Jesus and entrust our lives to Him.