It is the destiny of every believer to bear fruit, and every believer will bear fruit to their maximum potential, because the Vinedresser will make sure we do. Praise God that, once we are His, we become His responsibility. As such, God is Faithful, and more than glad, to make sure we do the good works we were created to do. Ephesians 2:10 is a very powerful verse, but it should also give us so much peace and relief too. Listen: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10) Once God transforms our heart when we receive His Salvation, God begins to grow us so that we fulfill our destiny. Unlike fate which is out of our control, destiny requires that we work with God as He helps us bear the fruit He ordained, in advance, for us to display. We grow by levels as God replaces our old sinful habits with His Righteous Way. And the more we grow, the more of this Abundant Life that we already have in Christ, we will be able to enjoy and share with others.
By God’s Grace, this all happens in levels. If God were to transform us from the old, pitiful and sinful person we used to be, to the holy and selfless godly image we were always meant to be, we would vaporize! There is really that much that needs to be altered in our hearts and lives. And so God grows us from glory to glory, the Bible says. (see 2Co 3:18) In this book, Mr Wilkinson gives us four levels of spiritual maturity. He calls them “Baskets of Glory,” which helps us understand that Jesus is talking about believers only here, because it is for God’s Glory that we move from level to level. We get to enjoy it, but this growth is for God’s Glory, to reflect Him more and our old self less. Remember Jn 3:30?
So here are the four baskets:
Basket 1- no fruit
Basket 2- fruit
Basket 3- more fruit
Basket 4- much fruit
We will spend the rest of this month breaking these levels down so that we may know where we are, as well as where we can still go.
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
<>< Peace, Diane
