Mensa Otabil - Start the Process
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Well, we are ending our teaching on fruitfulness today. For the last two weeks, we’ve been focusing on fruitfulness. We’ve talked about how God created man to be fruitful, and that the Earth itself is made to be fruitful. We’ve talked about what God equipped us with in order to be fruitful; that inside us, He has planted seeds we call gifts, talents, or abilities. God has commanded us to be fruitful. We’ve talked about God’s attitude towards fruitlessness, and we’ve talked about the process of becoming fruitful with fruitful thoughts and fruitful words, and building something. Today, we look at the last part of this message.
So, Genesis 9 verse 20: «And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.» After Noah had come out of the flood, God said to him, «As for you, you must be fruitful.» How did Noah respond to this charge from God? God said to be fruitful, and this is what he did. The Bible says Noah began to be a farmer. Noah understood that fruitfulness requires work; that if you’re going to be fruitful, you have to start somewhere and you have to start doing something. He had to resume his life; he had to start all over again. If he had a farm previously, it was gone. Everybody’s farm was gone; everybody’s work was gone. So, he began to do it.
If you believe God has called you to be fruitful, you must begin. You must start the process. Noah began. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t say, «Oh, I’ll do it next week or next month.» As you procrastinate, time doesn’t procrastinate; time is just moving by. Noah didn’t wait; he began the process. He started to be a farmer. That means he got a piece of land, got some seeds, planted them in, and started working to be fruitful. Begin. Don’t wait for somebody to encourage you or say, «Let’s go.» You begin. Starting today, from Monday, start doing something.
Then the passage says he planted a vineyard. He understood that fruitfulness requires not just farming but farming in something. So he planted a vineyard; he sowed the seed and started the process of cultivating so that he would get a harvest. When you start, when you begin, there must be something specific you start with. He began a vineyard. You don’t need to start with a vineyard; you may start doing something else. You may start a new business idea; you may start writing that book; you may start composing that music; you may start doing that sculpture piece you wanted to do. You may start going to school; you may start taking that course. So start doing something that will help you to become fruitful.
When you start, take one step at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time. It may seem like not much is happening, but that’s how everything has been done: one step at a time. The highest tower in the world was built one step at a time. When you go to the desert, you see huge ant hills; they were built with one grain of sand at a time. Everything happens one step at a time. We grew to be our size one day at a time; grow a little higher, and then there you are. So, don’t underestimate the power of time as your friend to help you, one step at a time, one day at a time, to get to where you need to be.
So begin. Begin to be fruitful. Begin to plant. Begin to do something and start it. Don’t wait for someone to come and encourage you; just encourage yourself and get yourself ready to be fruitful. I trust that this session has been helpful to you, and that together we will all be fruitful for the Lord who has called us and gifted us. Let us pray.
Say with me: «Heavenly Father, Your Spirit leads and inspires me today. I step out to do what You have called me to do. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»