The Command: BE FRUITFUL!
“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:28).
Hey! I have a confession to make.
We’ve been together on this journey for a while, and we are encouraged by James the Just, the brother of Jesus, in James 5:16 to confess our sins to one another. Although mine isn’t actually a sin, I do owe you this truth for the longevity of our ship. So, I’m trusting it will stay between us, yeah?
Here is my confession: whenever the scripture above (Genesis 1:28) is read, and whenever the command ‘Be fruitful’ is reiterated, my perception has always been about fertility, reproduction and posterity — the birthing of children. Now, it is not just any kind, but sage-grade children. I guess my line of thought stemmed from how it all started with God’s command to everything He created. You know, while God was speaking and calling forth everything, He commanded that the birds, cattle, fish, and every living thing He created should bring forth according to their kinds. Right after He approved and stamped them as good, He went on to create Adam and Eve, poured out His blessings, and said the words that brought us here — ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’ You wouldn’t judge me, and seeing how you’ve stayed with me till this point means you are also guilty of this thought pattern. Trust me not to judge you as well; we are in this together.
Sometime last year, I added to my list of daily affirmations, and honestly, I have been very committed to it. One of these affirmations is from Psalm 128:3: ‘I am a fruitful vine,' which obviously speaks within the confines of marriage. However, I then read something that shook the very foundation I stood on, removed the scale from my eyes, and gave me a different perception, breaking my previous limitation of the word “fruitful.”
Isaiah 5:1–7 [NKJV] - God’s Disappointing Vineyard
Now let me sing to my Well-beloved. A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.” For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.
From the scripture, God is depicted as the owner who lovingly plants and tends the vineyard (You and I), doing everything necessary for it to thrive — clearing stones, planting choice vines, building a watchtower, and making a winepress.
In your own context, you can draft a list of what ‘everything necessary for you to thrive’ means to you. Just like mine, it could include provision, preservation, family, connection, godly friends, opportunities, and what have you. This explains how our positioning as God’s children — whether in our families, schools, organizations, churches, or wherever we find ourselves, and even here on planet Earth — is not merely incidental, coincidental or accidental. They are well-thought-out plans by the Well-beloved who created us to be His vineyard. And, as His vineyard, He is very big on and deeply invested in the stages of our growth, from germinating seeds to mature edible fruits. It also opens us to the awareness that being fruitful isn’t just about giving birth to children; it’s also about being a worthy representative of Him who placed us on the fruitful hill (Earth). As long as we’ve been saved and chosen by Jesus Christ, we are mandated to bear fruits. God expects that, after giving so much for us ( His Son’s life) and allowing us access to the divine (His Spirit, His Glory, His Wisdom, etc.) and even the natural (our families, godly friends, skills, abilities, etc.) there should be an ROI (Return on Investment) through producing good fruit — it shows we are truly grateful, not that we deserve it, but we are grateful for His investment.
And I’m pretty sure you are thinking, “Okay Goodie, I get you. But how then do I produce good fruit?”
John 15:5 tells us how fruit-bearing can only be possible when we stay connected to the One who has granted us access to the Father: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” We’ve been called out to be separated, to know who we are and what our assignment is on Earth. Yes, bearing children (being fertile and reproducing) and multiplying (posterity) is part of it, but there is so much more tied to it. Being fruitful means staying true to your identity as God’s own, functioning in the capacity He has placed you in, not neglecting His calling and your position (unashamedly preaching His word). Being fruitful means representing Him in words, deeds, and appearance. It involves plunging deep into the Father’s business, affecting lives and influencing systems and not mingling with the affairs of the world (corruption and every form of ungodliness). Being fruitful, is choosing to shine as the light He has placed you to be, even in this dark world, and this depends on how much of His Truth you allow to dwell in you.
And don’t for a second think you can be a well-tended and watered vineyard that chooses not to bear fruit. You’ll only end up being cut off: “Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10b). He will take away everything necessary for you to thrive and have you trampled upon as a dead tree.
No one desires or prays to be cut off, burned down, or trampled upon. So, every day, just as I do, pray to be that vineyard that doesn’t just occupy space and absorb nutrients, but also bears fruit that people can eat from.
Now you know my confession, don’t keep it yourself.
Your friend, Goodie.
