Daily Nuggets of Grace Part 7: Fruitful! Chikamu

Brokenness is the Gateway to Fruitfulness

"If it ain’t broke, don't fix it." That adage may be great advice if you're juggling a hundred competing priorities at work.

But when it comes to being fruitful, we discover another counter-intuitive characteristic of God's grace. As Israel's king David discovered, it's a broken heart, a contrite spirit that is the gateway to fruitfulness (Psalms 51).

When it comes to the heart, it's the other way around: it's not fixed until it's broken.

No one wants to be broken. It hurts. It’s painful. Your brokenness might be related to health or finances. It might come from your church or family. If you’ve experienced such a season of brokenness, you might have discovered that not all pain is harmful.

Persevering through a season of intense conflict in Uganda, including genuine threats to our lives, I realized how God uses our brokenness. I was at my wits' end and discovered that was the best place to be. His strength was made perfect in my weakness. He carried us through and we saw the fruit of righteousness prevail.

Jesus Himself learned obedience through all that He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). In the week before he went to the cross, Jesus likened himself to a seed that had to die to produce more seeds (John 12:24).

Likewise, every branch that bears fruit is pruned so that it might bear more fruit. Regular pruning helps plants develop healthier roots, grow more robust, and fight disease.

As hard as it sounds, persevering through a season of brokenness, where we have no choice but to depend wholly on God, might just be what we need to yield greater fruit.

Being broken or pruned is painful. It feels ugly at the time. But it leads to greater fruitfulness.

Reflect and Respond

Having experienced a broken and contrite heart, David renounced his pride and declared his contentedness, inviting others to do the same (Psalm 131). Charles Spurgeon described it as one of the shortest Psalms to read but the longest to learn. What season of brokenness has been a gateway to greater fruit in your life? What are you called to persevere in right now?

Pray

Lord, I choose to trust You in the season I am in right now. Whether it's a season of plenty or brokenness, I choose to obey You and submit to Your will, for Your grace is sufficient.