Fullness and Fruitfulness

UV 2042/10000 Fullness and Fruitfulness
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11 v 9

Belief turns to knowledge that comes with practical experience of the working of the Lord in our lives. As we are filled with deep and personal knowledge and understanding of the Lord, we will be filled with His wisdom and we begin to develop His character. Our tendencies to hurt and get hurt as well as destructive traits will disappear like the morning mist before bright sunshine. We will find ways to be helpful and not harmful to others, ways to shine forth the love, mercy and grace of the Father. If we are to be His children, we also ought to have His nature. The nature of God is to be creative, to be loving, to be gentle and kind, to be humble and wise.

Jesus revealed the nature of the Father to us. He being full of the knowledge of the Lord is gentle, wise and humble. He never tried to grasp what was not His but instead gave His all to us so that we can dwell in and with the Father in heaven. The prophet Isaiah described His character as being so meek that He would not break a reed. Though we tend to hurt the Lord in many ways, He is patient and does not destroy us. The gentleness or meekness of the Lord is not due to weakness but due to His restraining of His immense might and unlimited power. He knows us from the inside out and knows our weaknesses. He does not rush the process of our purification and refinement but gently prods us in many ways.

Being filled with the knowledge of the Lord implies being filled with the Holy Spirit who transfers the traits of the Lord to us as the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control. The metaphor of fruit is used to show that these character traits are initially in seed form in us but over our lives and in accordance with our faithfulness and submission to the Lord, the seed would continually grow in us. The spirit the Lord imparts to us is one of love, power and self control. The Spirit regulates our thoughts, feelings, desires such that we do not hurt or harm others nor do we press any of the self destructive buttons of our old and sinful nature. As we grow in the knowledge of the Lord and in maturity, these spiritual traits will increasingly be manifested in our lives.

Prateep V Philip