Day 3:
There are a handful of ways we as believers can magnify the LORD of our salvation. In Scripture, He tells us to revel in Him in a general, “all the time” fashion, but if we look closer, we find that He outlines some very specific and practical ways to uplift Him. If we can identify, understand, and apply these explicit principles He gives us, we can truly begin a lifestyle that takes us deeper into our worship of Him. In a way, this simply brings our life mission into better focus.
So, how can we live out the purpose of our existence? One way is to:
BEAR FRUIT
John 15:1-8 outlines for us the principle of how bearing fruit is connected to the glorification of the Father. Jesus is speaking here and says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit…As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing…My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
That last line is the kind of explicit statements we see from His Word that specifically tell us what extols the name of our Savior. Philippians 1:11 is a sister verse that reads, “having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Bearing fruit can mean good deeds, good works, acts of righteousness, Christlikeness, godly behaviors, and godly attitudes. The summary word could be sanctification, which means our ongoing pursuit of holy living. Fruit bearing is not following a set of rules and regulations. It is not a “be good” list. And it certainly is not a formula. It is basking in Christ’s presence daily to be more and more conformed into His likeness (Rom. 8:29).
It is of the utmost importance to pause here and clarify one thought before moving forward. Bearing fruit, in no way, has any salvation merit. Good works do not save anyone. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states we are saved by grace through faith, not as a result of works. Our passage in John 15 says in verse 8 that bearing fruit proves we are Christ’s disciples. So, fruit bearing occurs after salvation has already taken place and is the evidence that our salvation is genuine. Any attempt by the unsaved to perform acts of righteousness to earn citizenship in heaven are filthy rags in the eyes of God (Is. 64:6). Titus 3:5 ties it up in a nice summary with the words, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds.”
We are to glorify God. One of the ways to glorify Him is to bear fruit. So, how specifically does our righteous living magnify Him? According to our foundational passage in John 15, God is the One who supplies us with the strength to pursue righteousness! So often we pat ourselves on the back for some spiritual action we performed and forget it is the power of the LORD energizing us for that very action! Verse 5 says, “he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (italics added).
When I played football, I wore a towel on the front of my uniform pants. On this towel, I had the words written, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13).” God is the strength. Ephesians 3:20 says it is Gods power that works within us. One other verse to drive home this rich principle is II Peter 1:3 where we read, “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.”
It is His divine power, not ours. This verse says we have everything we need to live godly in this life because it is God who supplies us with the passions, desires, and strength to do so. “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).”
Bearing fruit for Him is one reason we were created (Jn. 15:16). This exalts Him. And one powerful reason our righteous living magnifies Him is because it makes a public statement to His power within us. So, we act but our action is fueled by His strength. This again produces humility as we realize even our greatest spiritual endeavors are because of Him and for Him.
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments (Jn. 14:15).”
Children of Light 
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