"We’ve got to do something: Let’s devise a plan to contain them, lest if there’s a war they should join our enemies, or just walk off and leave us.” So they organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen. They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. But the harder the Egyptians worked them the more children the Israelites had—children everywhere! The Egyptians got so they couldn’t stand the Israelites" ( Exodus 1:10-12. MSG)
A popular video on YouTube (see it here) which has had over 12 million views at the time of this writing focuses on the demographic change Europe is experiencing due to the influx of people from Islamic nations and the high fertility rate of this immigrant population compared to the low fertility rate of the indigenous people with Christian roots.
It warns that in order for a culture to maintain itself for over 25 years, it must have a fertility rate of 2.11 children per family, otherwise, it will decline. It says that, historically, no culture has ever reversed a low fertility rate of 1.9. A rate of 1.3 can never be reversed because it would take 80 to 100 years to correct itself which is impossible because no economic model can sustain this. The video goes on to say that the fertility rate in the 31 nations of the European Union was only 1.38 while that of the Islamic population was at least in the 8.0 range. This imply that, irreversibly in about 30 years, Europe will be an Islamic continent. The continent will be conquered not by swords or wars but by the sheer number of children being born to muslim households who will become citizens with rights.
Our goal today is not to focus or comment on the European situation, but to use it to illustrate how potent fruitfulness is. Fruitfulness has the power to make the fruitful person dominate and rule a territory. Pharaoh recognized this potency in our text today. He was so afraid of the fruitfulness of the Israelites that he resorted to oppressive methods to stop it. This was wrong. Pharaoh could have chosen another route. Rather than focus on stopping the fruitfulness of Israel, he could have worked on the fruitfulness of his own people. After all, the whole human race was blessed and commissioned by God to be fruitful in Genesis 1:28.
There is power in fruitfulness. Fruitfulness brings dominion. God wants you to be fruitful in everything you do and through that extend His influence over your territory on the earth. He wants your talents to grow and touch more lives, your ministry to expand and touch more people and places, your spiritual children to multiply as you reach out and lead people to Christ. He wants your ministry, business and ideas to grow and fill your territory with the nature, power, influence and principles of the kingdom. He needs you to have more offspring; more children, until your children and fruits are everywhere, metaphorically speaking!
This fruitfulness comes as you submit to the plan of God and aggressively plant seeds. Step out of your comfort zones and start sharing the gospel with people regularly. Begin working on that business idea diligently. Put your talent to work even if the opportunity is little. The more seeds you sow, the more fruits you are likely to have and the greater the possibility of being an influence for the kingdom. So, sow bountifully.
Finally, don't let the intimidations of Pharaoh stop you. Keep on. He can't stop your fruitfulness if you don't let him.
Decision of the Day
I understand that fruitfulness is God's desire for me. It is also God's tool for advancing His kingdom and plan on earth. I will be fruitful spiritually, materially, mentally, relationally and physically. I will not be barren in good works. I will sow bountifully and diligently into my vision and dream. I will have spiritual children everywhere!
Great word P.Lan. Thanks for sharing.
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