Mensa Otabil - A Place of Fruitfulness
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Genesis 1, verse 11, reads: "Then God said,'Let the Earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself on the Earth.'" And it was so. God made our planet a place of fruitfulness. He has given the Earth the ability to produce life and sustain it. This is a fruitful planet.
However, when you read the Bible's account of life on Earth, it wasn't always a fruitful place. As a matter of fact, from Genesis 1, verse 2, the Earth is described as a place that is void, and darkness is on the deep; it's just a watery planet. It wasn't producing the diversity of life as we know it, definitely not intelligent life as we know it. The Spirit of God moved upon the Earth and prepared it to be a fruitful place because, ultimately, God was going to create His image: you and I. He prepared the Earth to be fruitful before man came.
In our passage today, Genesis 1, verse 11, the passage states, "God said,'Let the Earth bring forth.'" We use that term to mean something is producing, and in this context, it is sprouting vegetation. "Let the Earth produce vegetation." The statement presupposes that God had already equipped the Earth for that purpose; He had prepared it so that it could produce. We live on a fruitful planet.
Now, for us to live fruitful lives, we need to recognize that God did not place us in a sterile environment; God did not place us in a place that cannot support productivity and fruitfulness. God placed us in an environment that is teeming with so much productivity. When you look all around you, you see vegetation; you see majestic trees that you look up to; you see the humble grass that you walk upon; you see flowers in their different colors and diversity of designs. You see all of this magnificent display of productivity from the hand of God. It is to remind us that we live in a fruitful environment.
That is so important because, with that understanding, we can know that no matter where God places us on this planet, we are surrounded by fruitfulness. You cannot live in a part of the world and think that you can't be fruitful in that place or that you cannot be productive. Whether you live in the so-called developed world or the so-called underdeveloped world, by whatever index is used, we know that in God's economy, wherever He places us, it is a place of fruitfulness.
That is what I want you to understand right from the start: wherever you are - what town, what city, what family, what environment, or what continent you are from-wherever you are is a fruitful place. Now, this is where we start understanding how to be fruitful. If you don't get that right, you might even let your location disqualify you. But your location cannot disqualify you from fruitfulness because God made the Earth to be fruitful. That is where we start our teaching on fruitfulness from.
Let us pray. Say with me, "Heavenly Father, You have made the Earth to be fruitful. I boldly declare that I will flourish wherever You plant me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen."