A Devotional by Pastor Cesar Castellanos

Today’s Bible Verse

“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”

Genesis 1:28

The Blessing of Multiplication

It was going to be a grand ceremony; everything had been diligently prepared and was ready for the wedding. Invitations traveled fast through the postal service of the day, the Dove Express. The guests began to arrive to the great event, turning up in their couples. The lion, with his lioness, the great elephant with his sweetheart, and the handsome giraffe with his loved one were among the first to arrive. The climate couldn’t have been better for the open air ceremony.

Soon, every guest had arrived and at last, with great anticipation the son of the King met his other half. There was a buzz, like an electrical storm, traveling rapidly through the crowd with great expectation for the ceremony. Suddenly, the King called the couple forward to his throne and the wedding officially began. The King, filled with a great sense of joy, addressed the groom. “You are my son; however, in order for you to be complete, you need a partner. Maybe you are asking yourself, ‘How did she come into my life?’ She was taken from the place closest to your heart; she was created from one of your ribs.” “Why did you do it that way?” The son of the King asked. The King told him, “You are intelligent, you decide for yourself.” The son of the King thought, “Actually, I think she is more like one of my limbs,” he looked at his hand and said, “If I ever get tired of my hand, would I replace it? No, I wouldn’t.” He was about to tell the King that he now understood that she was to be with him forever, but the King knew what his son was thinking. He told him, “You don’t need to tell me, you have already understood the full significance of this union.”

Suddenly, the background music began to play and the King stood up to signal the start of the ceremony. The King addressed the couple, extended both his hands and said: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” At that moment, all the guests began celebrating, because they now had someone to be accountable to, and they knew that they were to submit to them completely. When the ceremony had finished, the couple carefully reflected on every one of the King’s words to them. They realized that in order to multiply, they must first be fruitful.

There is a type of Japanese fruit that looks lovely on the outside, but I was surprised to find out that it does not have any seeds on the inside. Have you tried this kind of fruit? It is common in the supermarkets, and is very delicious, but it is unable to reproduce itself. You are the one who decides whether you are a seedless fruit in the kingdom of God, which only lives to supply its own needs, or whether you would prefer to be a fruit that carries seeds inside, and that knows that the fruit of multiplication will be seen externally.

Something to Think About

Years ago, when my daughter Sara was thirteen years old, she asked my permission to hold a cell group in our house and I agreed. Later, in one of these meetings, I asked some of the young girls what they had learnt and they replied that Sara had been teaching them about the importance of having fruit. One of them told me, “It is very simple: first I must pray for God to give me one disciple, and if I am faithful with her, later the Lord will give me twelve disciples, and if I am faithful with them, the Lord will give me many more disciples.” Another girl said, “The thing that impacted me most was what Sara shared today from Romans 1:14-16 – that we have a great obligation, which is to take the Gospel to the youth of our generation.

Prayer

“Dear God, thank you for choosing me to do your work and for giving me the blessing of having fruit, as I know that this will take me on to multiply. Thank you for opening my mind so that I can comprehend your word, and for putting your hand over me so that I can complete your purpose on the earth. I love You Jesus. Amen.”

Declaration

“I will be fruitful and multiply because the blessing of God is on me.”

Today’s Bible Reading

• Old Testament: 1 Samuel 1-2; Psalm 95
• New Testament: Mark 9:33-50; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11