Fruit and Results

Gardening is an art, just ask someone who does not have a green thumb.  While it may be an art, it is also a learned craft and one that takes a lot of work, dedication and loving care.  You might see a neighbor leaning over a flower bed and wonder why his yard produces such beautiful blooms while yours looks too pitiful to point to.  What is the difference?  Could be lots of things, but a couple of the more obvious ones would be water and sunshine and pruning.

Water and sunshine are no brainers, but pruning?  Isn't that cutting some of the plant off and throwing it away?  Ouch, that sounds harsh.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:2)  

Flowers are meant for us to enjoy, to look at and feel blessed with a colorful treat for the eye.  Ask a gardener what his secret to his successful crop is and he might tell you that  we will thin out the bed by plucking up any shoots that do not look promising; those that are not growing and taking the shape they should.

The scripture of the Vine and the Branches is about the Master Gardener, Jesus, and how He wants to teach us how to bear fruit, how to be the best we can be.  We must be close to Him.  

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

John 15:1-12

John 15: 1-17

I Am The True Vine

The authors of the bible did not use these analogies by accident. God’s word spoken through them clearly illustrates how nature works in much the same way as man.

Last fall I received a call from my adult daughter, inquiring if she had pruned the young bushes in her front yard properly. The shrubs were nothing to look at to begin with, rather scraggly and weak looking. I inquired, “How did you do it?” “Well,” she hesitated, “I used a clipper and cut all the branches down about the same length.” “How much did you leave above the ground?” was my reply. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe an inch,” was her quiet come back. I could tell by her voice she thought she may have gone a bit too far for these young perennials to make it through a rough Midwest winter, but I encouraged her. I shared that I don’t generally cut mine back quite that far, yet a good pruning can often be just what it takes for them to come back better than ever. I believe my optimism left her with a bit of hope for new sprouts in the spring.

She recently sent a picture of her severely pruned shrubs on my phone, and to her delight and mine, though they are much smaller than last year, they are thriving. Perhaps the severe blow they survived helped them somehow realize their vulnerability, and push back through the dirt despite the odds, to show my daughter their true beauty and worth.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  John 15: 1-2 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain on the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4 Though our God is much more deliberate about which of our branches is cut off, which ones are pruned, and to what depth than my daughter was, the truth is;

All created by God, we are an extension of him. We are empowered by God’s grace and it is by remaining in him and offering God’s Grace to others that we truly live. This passage ends with  “Love Each Other.”

Read/Listen to John 15:1-17

John 15: 1-17

Empowered By God’s Grace

John 15:1 Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches.”

John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so I loved you. Now remain in my love”

John 15:10 “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love.”

John 15:17 “This is my command: Love each other.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

We have heard that once we hit bottom the only place to look is up. Perhaps this is a somewhat non-biblical way of pointing people to the Lord. It suggests that when all else fails and there is no hope left, one might as well go for the last resort and look to God. In many ways this seems like such a backward approach, but for some, it may be the only way they can let God in.

This is pruning to the max! Created by God, we are an extension of Him. We truly are the branches. For some of us, being stripped of all we think is valuable to the point of breaking is the pruning we require to wake us up to God’s Love. It does not have to be this way, but for some, it is the only way. When we see others in this position, what do we do?  I hope we love them, pray for them with a deliberate heart, and are there for them no matter what. That is God’s command; “Love each other.” It does not say love others when they are nice to you, or when they give to you what you desire, He says; “Love each other.”

It is easy to love those who show us love and behave in a way that pleases us, but there are many others who need our love and the love of the Lord who do not appear to deserve it. As they are being pruned, they seem to want to take us down with them. We are to be strong, and LOVE THEM. We are empowered by God’s grace and it is by offering God’s Grace to others that we truly live.

Read/Listen to John 15:1-17

John 15:1-11

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1-2)

The story of the vine and the branches is one of the more recognized parables from Scripture. This lesson on pruning sounds harsh and painful, but as every master gardener will admit, it is imperative to the outcome. I never understood this concept until reading about the process in the once popular book by Bruce Wilkinson called The Secrets of the Vine.  I was fascinated by his description of the pruning practice.

I love to garden and by February I am eager to plant the seeds and get them started indoors, anticipating warmer weather and the perfect time to plant the seedlings outside. Once they germinate and have grown an inch or two, the process begins. Thinning the crop is so hard to do. But I know from experience, if I don't do it few of the sprouts will flourish.

The parallel Jesus is drawing between vines and branches and our relationship with God is an eye opener.  When I think to a time I would consider as my pruning season, I am reminded of a challenging period when I was learning how to change my ways.  I can see now that God was doing the work of a gardener and cutting away all the dead foliage. He was removing the dried up branches and throwing them into the fire so new growth would appear.

Come to think of it, I did not develop my love of gardening until after I grew in my faith; until I cultivated my personal relationship with Jesus.  Once pruned and tended by the One who can make all things grow up strong, gardening became a passion for me. Have you experienced a period of pruning?  

Read John 15:1-11 here

Listen to John 15:1-11 here

John 15:1-8

I wonder how many folks go through life knowing they are good people, but assuming they will be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven.  I wonder how many truly understand who God is and how much He loves each of us.

I had a conversation a number of years ago with a co-worker who never went to church, didn't pray or read Scripture (his admission), but told me he thought he was a good person and was convinced he would get to Heaven.  His reasoning was, "I never killed anybody, I am a nice person and I am honest."

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 5:1-2)

I would never judge this persons faith or predict his future, but I do know that his everyday life could have been much more hope filled had he only gone the extra mile to build a relationship with Jesus.  His heart could be filled with Joy if only he embraced Jesus.

Sometimes I think it is scary to some to contemplate embracing Jesus with open hearts.  Verses like the one today frighten some into thinking the Christian life is painful.  Studying vineyards and the practice the gardener has of pruning can seem scary when we understand that not only dead branches are discarded, but some healthy ones as well.

But, none of our lives is easy and if we take the time to think about it, we all grow as a result of our challenges.  Looking back to seasons of grief and sadness, pain and desperation, I know that I am a better person because of those times.  It was then I turned to God and learned how much He loves. This gives new meaning to an old saying, "No pain, no gain."  For me this is very true.  You too?

Read John 15:1-8 here.

Listen to John 15:1-8 here.

Matthew 3:4-12 - Fruit of Repentance

When I hear someone saying life isn't worth living, I can't help but wonder where their heart is.  Sure, there are days when things go wrong, sometimes terribly wrong, and I might even think life stinks, but even those days are doable.  They are survivable when I turn to God for strength and understanding.  We all have seasons when we are in pain, self-inflicted or otherwise, but seasons pass.

The question, "where is your heart?" speaks to our relationships; with one another and with Jesus.  Those days when I feel 'life stinks', it is crucial I have an accountability partner to turn to.  Someone who can help by praying me through my troubles.  We all need an individual to reassure us how much our life matters.

Accountability partners do more than that, they also quiz us about our weaknesses, those areas of our lives where we struggle.  This partner knows us because we have given them permission to ask the difficult questions and expect truthful answers.

This verse from Matthew echoes questions I might hear my accountability partner ask.  They keep me accountable to growth and to bearing good fruit.  They help prune me and then provide much needed nourishment for my soul, called love.  With a friend like this - your enemies are crippled.

"What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire." (Matthew 3:10 (MSG)

John the Baptist went ahead of Jesus, heralding his arrival, preparing hearts to be changed, lives to be transformed. He preached the necessity of our lives counting because of the healthy fruit we produce. He warned if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire.

Read Matthew 3:4-12 here.

Listen to Matthew 3:4-12 here.