Bearing Fruit

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

The Holy Bible: ESV. Wheaton, IL: Standard Bible Society, 2001.

Jesus is spending His last hours with His disciples, and He shares with them the Father's desire and the source from which the desire will be accomplished. The Father desires FRUIT, and the Son is the source of life from which this fruit develops. We are the abiding, cleansed, pruned branches that declare the Glory of the Father by bearing fruit that blesses others.

As I was thinking on this passage, I thought about the early process of fruit-bearing: flowers. Now, some of you know how much I like flowers. I get amazed at their beauty and uniqueness. I get excited at their splash of colors against the backdrop of the fauna. I become enchanted with their fragrances ... Flowers seem to simply excite the emotions through the senses, but they must die if fruit is to be born. I don't always get so emotionally moved at the sight of a fruit-filled tree; I prefer the appearance of the flowers. But fruit will do so much more than flowers are capable of - fruit will provide me sustenance.

That got me thinking: suppose we as believers stayed only in the flower stage, refusing to be agitated by bees and to decay in our beauty. Suppose we only wanted our life to appeal to the senses rather than become something of sustenance. Suppose we, in our desire, crave the attention we get at the flower stage and just stay there. What would be the results?

I don't want my branches to only have flowers; I want them to have fruit. So I surrender to the hand of the Father to clean, pull, tie up, and prune me. I stay connected to the source of Jesus so I don't wither on my own. I yield to the delight of God that I might yield a harvest of fruit for the benefit of others. Will you?

BELIEVE

And he [Abram / Abraham] believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

The New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

This statement is given right after God had assured Abram of His promise to bless him with an heir. It is also right before God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. This statement is also repeated in the New Testament. (Romans 4:3, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23)

This statement is the clear indication of faith - believing God. Let that settle. Believing God.

It is more than believing what He said; it is more than what He has or will do. It is believing HIM!

When I believe God, I seek Him. I desire His words and ways. I long to please Him and to relate to Him. Believing is seen in my behavior, my attitude, and my outlook, and it is demonstrated in my values and worship.

So, be like Abraham - believe!

2016

2016. Two, OH, one six. Two, ZERO, one six.

Speaking linguistically and not numerically, there is a lot of difference between OH and ZERO. Oh has a sense of amazement; zero has a sense of loss. Such should be 2016: a time of amazement and loss. The Bible states it this way from the life of a dynamic disciple, Paul:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

My desire for 2016 is to live this goal out. Will you join me?