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Written by Jocelynn Goff, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas

 I planted a garden again this year and I am anticipating the harvest of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, and peppers. I’m especially looking forward to one of my favorites: a crisp cucumber and fresh tomato sandwich. A fresh tomato on a BLT (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich may be your favorite, or a cucumber tomato salad, or canning fresh salsa. Whatever it is, if it comes fresh from the garden it’s always better than store-bought. But it’s often hard to know if this will be an abundant harvest with plenty to share or just a lot of hard work for a disappointing harvest.

However, we know that if God plants a garden or vineyard the harvest will be plentiful and it will not disappoint. As we read in Zecharaiah 8:12 (CSB) “For they will sow in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the skies will yield their dew.  I will give the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.” This is a promise from God to the remnant of Israel. God is telling them that He will supply an abundance for them.

As we read further in Zecharaiah 8 we see that there are conditions requiring obedience that are a part of this promise. Zecharaiah 8:16 says, “These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, make true and sound decisions within your city gates.  Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury for I hate all this – this is the LORD’s declaration.” And, get this, if they act in obedience to this, then the result as Zecharaiah 8:22-23 shares, “Many people and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Armies in Jerusalem and to plead for the Lord’s favor. The LORD of Armies says this: “In those days, ten men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

So, God gives the remnant a fruitful harvest to enjoy if they obey His commands, and the result is another type of fruit. This is the fruit of someone who wants to know about the LORD. 

This is a pretty amazing progression of fruit, obedience, and bearing fruit.

However, I know you may be thinking this is an Old Testament situation and doesn’t apply to today and to me. Let’s look at some other New Testament scriptures. John 13:34 Jesus says, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” Applying the principle of following our Lord’s commands, if we love one another—and love is one of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22—then the result will be that everyone will know that we are His disciples.

This is that double fruit. Fruit within us and then fruit around us because they know we are His.

To carry this thought further we know that the fruit of love is not from our own effort. We need to die to ourselves much as a seed dies when it is planted in order to produce a harvest. As John 12:24 reminds us, “Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.”

In addition, in Romans 7:4b we also bear fruit through the body of Christ as it says, “You belong to Him Who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.” If we belong to Him then we may bear fruit. This reminds me of the words of Jesus in John 15:5, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

Since I believe all Iron Rose Sisters want to bear fruit, then we must ask ourselves these questions:

• Am I obedient by practicing the fruit of the Spirit of love so others will know I am His?
• Have I become a seed and died to myself?
• Do I belong to the One who was raised from the dead?
• Am I remaining in Him because I can do nothing without Him?

Blessings to all my Iron Rose Sisters as we journey forward in obedience and bearing fruit.

• MichelleJGoff
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• OurPurposetoBearFruit

Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Executive Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas

 “Be fruitful and increase in number…” (Gen 1:28 NIV). “But women will be saved through childbearing…” (1Ti 2:15). Commands like these can be frustrating and confusing for single women. And for women who long to be a mother but are unable to bear children, they can become discouraged and disheartened.

Without negating the original commands to procreate and fill the earth, I would like to offer the principles in Isaiah 54 and John 15 as a spiritual interpretation of those commands for all Christians, no matter our marital status.

“Sing, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband,”
says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants will dispossess nations
    and settle in their desolate cities.

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
    Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
    and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.
The Lord will call you back
    as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment I abandoned you,
    but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
In a surge of anger
    I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
    I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer. (Isa 54:1-8, emphasis added)

For a woman of biblical times, her status and value were based on her ability to bear children, specifically male heirs. A wife was sometimes rejected or deserted because of her lack of offspring.

Barren women and single ladies, the Lord Almighty, our Maker, is our beloved husband, and partnered with Him, we can bear much fruit—spiritual offspring that will last an eternity.

While the Lord our Redeemer is speaking through the prophet Isaiah in broad terms to the nation of Israel, He is simultaneously presenting the principle of descendants “borne” to a barren woman.

“More are the children of the desolate woman… your descendants will dispossess nations… enlarge the place of your tent…” The Lord Almighty grants us the blessing and possibility of bearing spiritual children and grandchildren.

This simple blog post offers inadequate space to fully develop these principles or a theology for singleness, but I invite you to a deeper dive into the value and responsibility every single one of us has to bear fruit and multiply, to grow the Kingdom, through the book One Single Reason: Conversations with Single Women.

As a single woman, never married, who always dreamed of being a mom, I delight in stories of God’s amazing promises fulfilled through bearing spiritual fruit. I love to proudly share pictures of my spiritual children and grandchildren, my adoptive nieces and nephews. In addition to my own family, we are a spiritual family in Christ.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (Jn 15:8)

All fruit contains the seed of future fruit. Its nature is to multiply. Whether we have children in the traditional sense, adoptive children, or spiritual children, we should model and instill in others this teaching to bear fruit and multiply—teaching to teach to teach (2Ti 2:2). It is a vital part of our DNA and identity as disciples of Christ.

For those whose family have not modeled this, for first generation Christians, and even for those who grew up in a Christian home, may we each thank the Lord for those who have made it a priority to enlarge their tents and invite us into the spiritual family of Christ.

How are you fulfilling the command to be fruitful and multiply? How does reframing the concept of spiritual descendants from Isaiah 54 help empower you for eternal Kingdom impact?