Daily Devotionals

Bowen's Daily Meditations

Devotional: February 11th

" Fruitful in every good work." - Colossians 1:10.

The Almighty Maker of all demands no more of anything he has made than he has made it capable of yielding. Although when each tree yields its appropriate fruits. The plants of righteousness have per-eminence above all the trees of the field; for on their boughs, they bear, wonderful to relate, many varieties of fruits. There is one Spirit; but his fruit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. How beautiful when the trees planted in the courts of God, exhibit, each of them, all these varieties of celestial fruits. Does a man say, I am fruitful in one good work, I have fulfilled my legitimate function? I reply: You know not your calling, neither the grace of God’; you are called to be one of those peculiar trees that are to be transplanted to paradise; be fruitful, therefore, in every good work.

Who is he that speaketh against good works? Such an one speaketh against God. Good works are the works that God approves. To disapprove of what God approves, is something that should be left to Satan and his angels. It is impossible to take a step in the path-way of life, but by a good work. A man must do what God would have him do, or he will make very little progress in that path to heaven. The first thing, of course, is to renounce all trust in one’s own righteousness, and look to Christ as one’s sole wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. We are created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Fruitful in every good work. Not but that a man may be specially fitted for a particular service. We are not bidden to fritter away our powers in vain efforts to do a multitude of things. But opportunities of diverse character come to every man. It is of great importance to be on the look out for these. The devotee of gain is wonderfully keen for the recognition of opportunities; and grasps with all his energies at each successive hope that darts across his path. The Christian is a merchant of a peculiar kind; his whole aim is to enrich others. Golden opportunities in his estimation are such as enable him to do good. He cultivates a habit of looking upon every man as one to whom good is to be done. The day is whitest in his calendar in which he has been enabled to communicate most. Let us look around us and see if we cannot be fruitful in some good works that our hands have not yet known. The glory of a tree is to be fruitful.

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