Love Yth

Commentary

Consider everything in the world: all the people, plants, and animals; the sky, stars, and planets. Everything we see on this Earth is created by God. That’s incredible! But what does this mean for us, and how can we apply this scripture? The key focus of this passage is that it is God who created everything. He made all these things, not us, not our parents, and not our friends. We must remember that we serve only the Creator of the entire world. This is something we can easily overlook. For instance, when you pass a test or receive a gift, it’s common to immediately praise yourself for studying or to thank your parents or friends for giving you a gift. But who does Paul say made these things, both visible and invisible?

When verse 16 states that everything is made for Him, it refers to God. This is the same God who created people, plants, and everything else we see. We need to remember to always give God praise for all the good things that happen in our lives. Think about Legos: you build them to display to admire your work. When you create something (a Lego set, a video, a piece of art, a sculpture etc.) you feel great satisfaction in your creation. If you have a Lego minifigure, you want to give him a car, a house, and friends so that you can create something beautiful not just for the figure, but for yourself as well. 

In the same way, God gives us various things like cars, phones, money, friends, and all the other blessings we enjoy in this world. While these gifts are meant for us, we must remember they ultimately come from Him. The Bible doesn’t suggest we shouldn’t be grateful for what God gives us; rather, it encourages us to acknowledge and remember the source of our blessings.

Commentary: What Does “Bearing Fruit” Mean?

You may have heard of phrases in the scriptures such as “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” or “bearing fruit.” Have you ever considered what these phrases truly mean? How can we live out these commands as Christians? This passage teaches us how to produce fruit in our lives.

You might think that fully pleasing God and walking in a manner worthy of Him is simply about reading your Bible and praying, either weekly or even daily. While these practices can certainly help you grow in your knowledge of God, living a life that truly pleases Him goes beyond that. 

To please God, we need to bear good fruit. Galatians 5 describes what good fruit looks like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Bearing good fruit involves more than just daily Bible reading and prayer; it also has to do with how you treat others. Are you patient, kind, and gentle? So, ask yourself: Are you producing good fruit or bad fruit? 

Sometimes I find myself wanting to have fun rather than focusing on bearing good fruit or pleasing God. Scripture doesn’t promise that the process of bearing fruit will be enjoyable; it emphasizes the importance of growing in our relationship with God and producing good fruit. 

On my old soccer team, our conversations often centered around gossip and cursing—topics that certainly didn’t reflect the idea of bearing good fruit, but they were entertaining. Eventually, I realized I was drifting away from my goal of pleasing God and instead was more concerned with pleasing my friends and having fun. For these reasons, I decided to quit the team. After removing myself from that toxic environment and distancing from worldly influences, I discovered that bearing fruit became much easier and the fruit became more fulfilling. I finally felt like I was truly pleasing God and producing good fruit. You might not have to quit your soccer team like I did, but we all have areas in our lives that could benefit from better fruit!