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Do You Really Want God to Use You?
John 15:8
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."
The desire to be used by God is a great desire. However, most Christians don't really understand what it takes to be used by God. Since my childhood, I have always wanted to be used by God. Do you have that same desire? Moreover, to what degree do you want to be used by God? If you are like me, I want God to use me in a great way.
What does it take to be used by God in a great way? God answers this question in John 15. You will find in this chapter that there are three levels to how much God will use a Christian. The three levels are: fruit, more fruit and much fruit. Every Christian should desire to get to the third level of usefulness, but realize you will never get to that third level without paying a price. Please notice that God only uses those who bear fruit. In fact, verse 2 shows that those who bear no fruit He takes away. God expects every Christian to have some level of fruit.
The first level of usefulness is bearing fruit. This first level is interesting because God does nothing to get us to the first level. Before God starts really working, the tree has to bear fruit. Don't get me wrong, God works with us, but it is primarily our responsibility to initially bear fruit. Yes, God planted our Christian life by dying on the cross for our sins. When we accepted Christ as our Saviour, we became a tree that was supposed to bear fruit. So, it is your responsibility to get yourself to the first level of usefulness.
The next level of usefulness comes through God's workings. In verse 2, when the tree bore fruit, then God purged the tree so that it could bear more fruit. Once you start bearing fruit for God, then He will help you to get to the level of bearing more fruit. However, the ability to bear more fruit does not come without a price. Notice that the tree had to be purged. Whenever you purge a tree, there is a cutting away. The foliage and the branches of the tree are cut away. The tree is brought to a point where it looks like it's dead. Yet, when the next season comes, the trees branches and foliage grow again. The fruit that the tree produces because of the purging causes that tree to have more fruit. Christian, God will purge you so that you can bring forth more fruit. At times, His purging will bring you to the point where you think you are going to die, but if you will trust Him, His purging will cause more fruit to come from your life. This purging comes through trials. God allows you to go through trials so you can bear more fruit. You will always find that your trials give you the opportunity to bear more fruit.
The last level of fruit bearing is the level of bearing much fruit. After you start bearing more fruit, if you want to see God use you in a greater way, then you must abide in Him. Only those who spend time walking with God in the Scriptures and prayer will see God use them to produce much fruit. Those who have been used the greatest by God always went through seasons of purging, but they also spent much time during the purging process walking with God in the Scriptures and prayer. You will never see the much fruit stage of fruit bearing until you start walking with God.
Finally, notice from the verse above that God's will is for you to bear much fruit. When you get to the point of bearing much fruit, you will find that only God will get the glory. Yes, people will see that God used you in a great way, but He will ultimately get the glory. The third level of much fruit is the level you should want to get to in your life.