Subscription Lists
Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Death is not usually seen as a happy time. Sometimes death is seen as a relief or a release especially in the case of extreme suffering. God sees the death of one of His saints as precious (Psalm 116.15), but then again He is able to look at all sides of life and know with certainty what is best. However, as we examine our focus text today we will see that there really is joy in death – if we choose to see it.
“Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter..” (Romans 7.4-6; emphasis mine, jb).
One of the purposes of marriage was and is to bring forth fruit; that was in Paul’s mind when he wrote “…that we should bear fruit to God.” Generally speaking, marriage was not designed to be a sterile institution into which nothing unpleasant could come. Rather, God designed marriage as one of the corporate ways in which two people can give praise to God with their lips and with their lives. There is nothing more lovely than the picture of a man and his wife as they strive continually to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Matthew 7:21).
It is interesting that Paul connects marriage and death such that the reader is able to see, at least in some cases, there is something good that comes from death. In the case of Romans 7, the old law [the Law of Moses] is seen as a calloused husband having dominion over his spouse, but that to her detriment. His death frees her from the burdensome bondage under which she has governed. However, herein lies the whole point of passage; death is but a means to something greater! By dying to the law, they had become alive unto God. Their lives were lives with purpose! The reason for their existence was then obvious: They had been chosen as a means of bearing fruit to God.
Fruit to God is positive, uplifting, useful, meaningful, and entirely an experience we ought all to crave. On the other hand, fruit to death is negative, repulsive to God, and unfulfilling! God has no hands but our hands and that by decree. He expects us to work for Him and to put ourselves out there in order to be available when the need arises. Bearing fruit to God entails body, mind, soul, and spirit. In the figure of marriage, we belong wholly to Him or we do not belong to Him at all! He expects much from His marriage; it is not a convenience affair, but it is a love affair driven out of love to one another and love to serve!
Our entire existence, what ever that is seen to be, is with purpose. The two statements taken as our article title show that our purpose can be for the good, or it can be for the benefit of evil. That is our choice; God has already made His! I heard it explained this way once: When it comes to salvation, it is a majority vote that counts. God always votes yes; Satan always votes no; and the deciding vote always belongs to me! Fruit to God is what we as believers are about!
Questions:
1. How can death at times be seen as a happy time?
2. What is our spiritual purpose as a marital partner with Jesus?
3. What is “fruit to death?” Who harvests it?
4. Does God seek our salvation? How far is He willing to go?
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "Today's Little Lift" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.