Lots of Fruit
John 15:1,2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more.
None of us likes to suffer … we just don’t. And when we are suffering, we typically ask “Why is this happening to me?” That’s a fair question. Sometimes there’s an obvious reason, other times not so much. So today, let’s look at one of the obvious ones.
Grapes are one of my favourite fruits. They’re so sweet and round – just the right size for popping in your mouth for an explosion of flavour.
But here’s the thing. If you leave a grape vine to its own devices, all it’ll do pretty much is shoot out long, leafy branches. From a distance you think, “Wow, what a beautiful healthy vine”, but get up close and you’ll find precious little fruit because in order to grow grapes, those branches have to be pruned back hard each year so that the vine will put its energies into growing fruit, rather than looking good.
So you can either have a flashy-looking vine or you can have fruit, but you can’t have both. And that’s the picture Jesus was painting when He said this:
John 15:1,2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more.
Sometimes we go through a rough patch in life and we think, “Ooh, what’s that all about?”
Well, it’s the Master’s pruning program, because His plan for your life and mine isn’t so much to make us look good. His plan for our lives is that we should bear much fruit.
John 15:8 Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honour to my Father.
It’s all about the fruit. His ideal for our lives is lots and lots of sweet, plump, tasty fruit.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Sisi Simelane
Powerful, thank you so much!!
Powerful, thank you so much!!