“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16 NIV).
God’s mission is for everyone—including people like you and me.
We don’t have enough missionaries in the world to fulfill God’s mission by themselves.
Jesus said of us, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16 NIV).
Fruit is a metaphor for a successful, productive life. Jesus wants us to bear fruit that will last.
Most of what we do won’t last. No one will remember most of what you did 10 years after you die. People won’t care what movies you saw, what books you read, or how you spent your summers.
But Jesus wants you to do something that will last. Only two things really last: truth and people.
Imagine this scene one day when you get to heaven: A person comes up to you and says, “I just want to thank you.”
And you say, “Thank me? I don’t even know you.”
“You’re right, you don’t know me. But you helped in a ministry. You helped in a project, a humanitarian effort through your church. You did something that caused me to get to know God. I’m in heaven because of you. I’m your forever friend.”
Nothing you do is more important than helping people determine the destiny of their lives because it’s fruit that will outlast your life.
William James is credited with saying, “The greatest use of your life is to invest it in that which outlasts it.”
When you invest your life in people, who are going to last for eternity, you’re bearing fruit that will last.
You might be a teacher. You might be an accountant. You might be a janitor.
But your greatest calling is to use the gifts God gave you to make sure more people will go to heaven.
Talk It Over
What are some things people pursue in this life that won’t last even a few years after their death?
If you’re a follower of Jesus, what people played a part in your journey to God? Spend some time thanking God for those people.
Do you know if anyone will be in heaven because you shared Christ with them?
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This devotional © 2019 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
