DR. PHILLIP BRASSFIELD
Have you reached your full potential? You’ll probably say, “No!” Even if you know your purpose and have discovered why God put you on the planet, I’ll bet you believe there is more you want to accomplish. And most likely, there is something stirring inside of you to see just how far you can go, how high you can climb. How do I know that? Because you were made for more. Part of being created in the image and likeness of God is having a desire for more. It was God’s idea. It’s one of the most obvious elements in the creative miracle recorded in Genesis.
God created everything that lives with the potential to multiply, to reflect His nature of abundance through a reproductive process. God calls this process, fruitfulness. Evidence of this can be found in the earliest days of Creation. When looking at the Creation account recorded in Genesis Chapter One, notice all the implications of increase and multiplication embedded in the text.
For example, when God created plants and vegetation, there was immediately evidence of God’s intent for multiplication. In Genesis 1:11, the Scripture says, “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.”
When He created the fish, sea creatures and birds, we see, again, as the Scripture says in Genesis 1:20, “Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”
“Abound with abundance” sounds like multiplication to me.
V22. “And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Then, finally, as He creates man, verse 28 says, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply”; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Everything God created, He created good, and part of that goodness was that He created living things with the capacity to multiply. Plants grow with seeds that, when planted, produce more plants; trees bear fruit with seeds that grow trees. In every fluffy head of wheat is a field waiting to be planted. In every fruit tree, there is an orchard waiting to grow. You don’t get one fruit from one seed; you get an organic production engine in the form of a plant that can produce hundreds of fruits and seeds that produce more.
Regarding mankind, God created them with the potential to reproduce, as well, and the same command is given, “Be fruitful and multiply.” In fact, in the early records of Genesis, we see the story of potential and production intentionally built into the creative process. Multiplication was God’s genius, Genesis idea.
This idea is reiterated with the Patriarchs through the covenant promises of God. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are promised great blessing and multiplication of descendants and wealth as they are called to obedience in relationship with God.
And the story doesn’t change in the New Testament. Let me show you what I mean. As with Creation, the concept of a God of more, a God of abundance is echoed repeatedly in the New Testament. One such case in point is in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, where the Apostle Paul is appealing to the church at Corinth to contribute a love offering for the suffering churches in the grips of famine in Judea. The promises he makes in the passage in question are directly related to the financial giving of the church. And he uses an agricultural metaphor of sowing and reaping that can be traced to Genesis and Creation to support the concept. The idea is that sowing a seed releases the “more potential” built into Creation from God. In this case, giving was characterized as sowing.
In this passage, I want you to notice all the quantitative (the “more”) words in the passage. (I’ve highlighted them for emphasis and included some brief comments at the end of each verse for clarity).
2 Corinthians 9:6-11
V6. “But this [I say]: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully (with blessing) will also reap bountifully (with blessing).” Notice the quantitative underpinning and the proportionality that is suggested. Sow a little, reap a little; sow a lot, reap a lot.
V7. “[So let] each one [give] as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. Giving to God is not a tax; it’s an opportunity. God designed giving to begin in the heart and then flow out of our hearts into the world with joy (cheerfulness, generosity). God created us with the capacity and hunger for more. But, to release that more, we need to sow a seed. This is the divine order in Creation: first, a seed must be sown; then, a harvest can be enjoyed, and the process repeated into great multiplication.
V8. “And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may have an abundance for every good work.” See the divine intent and the process at work? Paul promises that when we give generously, we move into an “all grace” environment. When “all grace” abounds, there is a sufficiency in all things creating an abundance for every good work. It is simply a surrender and an embracing of the potential and production God installed in everything that lives at Creation. Of course, this was designed by God, not to feed our lust, but rather to bring glory to God in the multiplying process. God wants more for you and from you. In fact, it is expected.
V9. “As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” This Old Testament quote is taken from Psalm 112. Do yourself a favor, and read the entire Psalm. It is a psalm that speaks of the righteous delighting in the commands of the Lord, whose descendants are mighty in the earth, upright and blessed. They are wealthy in their “house,” and their lives are filled with light. They have an abundance through which they can lend to others. They are steadfast, confident in God and sure. They are not soon forgotten. Paul encourages the Corinthians to give generously and supports this encouragement to action based on this promise from the Old Testament.
V10. “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have [sown] and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while [you are] enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” Here, the Apostle Paul finishes with a prayer asking the God who created us with the capacity for more to supply and then multiply what we have sown, in this specific context, the seed sown is money the Corinthians have given in the offering. Paul can pray this because He understood the nature of God demonstrated from the very beginning of time was potential and production leading to multiplication. A process called fruitfulness.
This is the argument I am making. You were made for more. There’s more in you and for you than broken relationships, an empty bank account, and a “hold on to the bitter end” lifestyle. You were made to excel, to achieve, to walk in abundance. But there are several concepts you need to embrace and principles of obedience you need to practice.
- You need to believe that God is a God of More.
I have shown you from Scripture that from the very beginning, God created everything that lives with the potential for multiplication. That includes you! In fact, God gave His Creation the command to be fruitful and multiply. Fruitfulness is a command. God never gives a command that we cannot obey. He installed the potential in the organic structure of everything that lives and then added the blessing as the life of the seed.
Never let the hard things you’ve gone through change what you believe about God. Never let tragedy redefine your theology. While some seasons of life can be hard, and difficulty comes to us all, yet we must believe that God’s nature and intent is to bless us, to develop us, and to assist us in the process of fruitfulness. Joseph of the Scripture in Genesis Chapter 37 was prophetically destined for the throne of Egypt. This was God’s intent and plan, yet he endured the process of the pit and the prison before the fruitfulness of the palace became his reality. Our difficulty, in no way, changes the plan and purpose of God for our lives. We must believe that God is a God of more and wants more for us and from us!
- We must believe that our fruitfulness brings glory to God.
In the famous “I am the vine, and you are the branches” passage recorded in John Chapter 15, Jesus says in verse 5, “I am the vine, and you are the branches, He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” And then, in verse 8, Jesus makes this big statement, “By this My father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, you shall be my disciples.” Fruitfulness brings glory to God. When we experience the tangible results of blessing, God receives the glory. Jesus also says in this passage that, “…apart from Me you can do nothing.” When we are abundantly blessed and are enjoying the fruitfulness of God’s blessing, all the glory goes to God. Blessing should never be an opportunity for us to take the credit and become arrogant or prideful. This actually makes the blessing a curse. Every good and perfect gift comes down from above James says in James 1:17. It’s God’s blessing; it’s God’s glory!
- Fruitfulness is developed over time and through obedience.
A famous phrase often quoted from the Scripture is, “seed, time and harvest.” The suggestion of this statement is that there is time that lapses between the sowing of the seed and the reaping of the harvest. We would all love to reap instantly, but God’s process of fruitfulness suggests that there is a development, a process that must be endured before the fruit can be enjoyed.
Many today are waiting for their big opportunity, their “big break.” “If God will open a door, I’ll go through it,” they say. But, this is not a fruitful mindset. I often tell young leaders, “Your destiny is more like a seed to be planted than a door to be opened.” God is more interested in growing something great in you than doing something great for you. God has given you the potential; you must develop and increase your personal capacity and learn through obedience to the command of the Lord. This leads to the fruitfulness God has planned for you.
You were made for more because God is a God of more. He has equipped us with blessing and given us the command to be fruitful and multiply. In our fruitfulness, God is glorified. Whatever you’re going through, whatever season you’re in, be patient, be faithful, be obedient, and trust that a great harvest is on the way.
