"Be Fruity"
- Rita Larson
- Apr 26, 2023
- 3 min read
This morning, I am waking up across the country in San Diego, California and it is 3 hours earlier than at home due to the time zone change. As I awaken, I immediately think of home and how much I miss being there this morning. On my first call with my husband, he told me his plan today is to make 40 pints of apple butter. His homemade apple butter is so delicious and hands down the best apple butter you will ever taste! Knowing how much he puts into choosing the right kind of apples to use and all of the work he puts into his apple butter to perfect it, pointed me to John 15:1-8. We are called to bear fruit, so this is where my studies took me this morning!
John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.is a powerful reminder of how we must remain connected to Christ, like a branch is connected to a vine.”
This passage teaches us the nature of Christian discipleship and emphasizes the importance of cultivating a close connection with Christ, outlining what God wants from us, and what He expects from us.
First and foremost, God wants us to bear fruit, the fruit of Christian character. Galatians 5:22-23 outlines the fruit of Christian character in detail, including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. We can’t bear these fruits on our own; it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can understand God’s word and apply it to our lives. Without the Holy Spirit, we are unable to comprehend God’s word and have the good soil needed to bear these fruits. This is why Christ tells us in John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” We need the Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside of us, to teach and guide us!
God also expects us to live by Christian conduct and be an example to those around us. Colossians 1:10-11, we are called to live in a way that is pleasing to Him: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” This means living a life of integrity and doing good works that will bring glory to God. We must strive to be wise, showing restraint, humility, and obedience. We should be living our lives according to His Word and learning more about Him and His will for us.
Finally, God wants us to bear Christian converts. In Matthew 28:16-20, Christ gives us the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” We are to be witnesses to the world, sharing the Gospel and leading people to salvation. We are to be harvesters, gathering in the fruit of those who have been born again into the Kingdom of God.
These three things—bearing fruit, living in a way that is pleasing to God, and bringing others to Christ—are all part of God’s divine plan for us. He wants us to be connected to Him and to cultivate that connection by living according to His will. We can know what God wants for us by studying His word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. When we do this, we will be able to bear fruit and bring glory to God. ©Rita Larson 4/26/2023
Song of the Day:
Comments