God's first blessing for man and womankind is the directive of fruitfulness. It was the first blessing He gave to Adam and Eve, and after the flood, the first blessing to Noah and his family (See Genesis 1:28-29 and 9:2).
"Be fruitful and multiply."
What does it mean for us today to be fruitful and to multiply? Is it merely about reproducing or can we discern a deeper blessing from these words? The New Testament tells us that the fruit God desires from our lives is the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23.) But the production of this fruit cannot be done on our own --fruit does not spontaneously produce itself. The Apostle Paul tells us that this fruit must first be planted by and in the Spirit of God, and then we must be determined to walk in that Spirit.
What kind of fruit are we producing in our lives? Are we feeding, tending, and growing the fruit of God's Spirit? The scriptures tell us that the directive to be fruitful is God's blessing to His children. Our lives and the lives of those around us are blessed and changed by this kind of fruitfulness. How might the world look different to the next generation if THIS fruit became our primary crop?
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