Devote to be Fruitful

“¹⁴And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.” – Titus 3:14 (ESV)

Paul is wrapping up his letter to Titus and in doing so is giving final instructions. This verse is telling of instructions that we should all take to heart. As Christians, it is our duty to do the works of God that He has for us. Those works will be inherently good. And those good works will be used to help those in need. And when helping those in need, we will be fruitful.

It is not enough to do good works, as Paul writes, we are to devote ourselves to them. A good work may provide temporary relief, but our devotion to do and maintain good works is where we find the permanent relief from the difficulty surrounding us. It is in that devotion that the fruitfulness is really manifested.

I think of the farmers that plant seed and then water, and fertilize, and weed, and prune, and then harvest. Just planting the seed is not enough to get the full fruitfulness of the crop. The planting is just the beginning. It is the devotion to the work that the crop is realized for the results that are being sought.

What does it look like for you and good works? Are you continuing to do the good work? What if you devoted yourself to the good work to be fruitful?