"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ " (2 Pet 1:8, KJV) "For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Pet 1:8, BSB) Yesterday we talked about the first part of the equation which is barrenness, and today we talk about the second part which is unfruitfulness. Now, barren people cannot produce fruits because the lack the seed to do so; but unfruitful people do have the seed needed to produce fruits but unfortunately are unable to do so.
The reason we have unfruitful people is because having seeds is not a guarantee that you will become fruitful. Seeds may be what is needed to bear fruits, but they are certainly not the only thing. First, the seed will have to be planted, watered, tended, watched over until it grows into a tree and then begin to bear fruits. It is a whole process that takes time, determination and discipline. Now, not a lot of people are willing or able to undertake this process.
Sometimes when couples are married for a few years without a child, they try to seek medical assistance to know why they are unable to bear children. Some times, they get a bad news that something is wrong with one or both of them reproductively which may or may not be treatable. That is a different story. But most at other times, they get a worse news that there is nothing wrong with either of them. Now this is worse news because they have a problem but have no idea why they have it. They are told they can bear fruits; but somehow they are unable to bear fruits. Some couples have lived this nightmare for years
Some people have businesses that have been around for 5-10 years and has not borne any fruit. Some people are in studying, but are not learning. Some are in ministry, but no growth and breakthrough in their ministry. These are all cases of unfruitful. And God wants to save us from these situations. And as we continue to study His word in this series, we shall learn how He intends to do that!