Saturday, September 8, 2018

Tag: We Must Bear MORE Fruit - John 13-15

John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Tag:   We Must Bear MORE Fruit

I am not a gardener or farmer or anyone who knows much about what Jesus is talking about in the above verse.  I have started to grow roses in front of our house only because the condo association planted them there.   The first couple of years I did not care if the roses lived or died, had one or more roses bloom.   This past year I decided to “help” them along.  I noticed they had some exposer to some hungry bug.   Normally I am not so merciful to plants.  But, as I spared them and began to care for them, guess what?  They actually began to produce more and more roses.   Those visiting began to notice the bright red pedals.   I have a long, long way to go before I know how to care for and produce roses.  However, it gives me some needed insight for the above verses, spoken by Jesus to His disciples moments before his arrest, conviction, crucifixion and subsequent resurrection.  Jesus is in the business of producing fruit in our lives.  Notice a couple of verses later:

John 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

If we believe and are in Christ we WILL bear fruit.  But, the process of bearing fruit is tough.  There is pruning going on all the time, so that we can bear MORE fruit.   God wants us to bear fruit.  He sent the Spirit to dwell in us to produce that fruit:

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

He does not just want us to bear a little love, joy peace, etc.  He wants us to bear MUCH love, joy peace, etc.   God is pruning us to bear MORE fruit.   We may not like the pruning process.  But, we should rejoice in the MORE fruit prospect.  

The Greek word used here for “prune” is: kathairō; from katharos; to cleanse, i.e. (specially) to prune; figuratively, to expiate: — purge.

This is the sanctification process God is using to make us “clean” for Him. He us “purging”us of our sinfulness. His death paid the penalty for our sin; His life gives us victory over sin and purifies us.   We can’t bear more fruit if we have sin in our lives.   


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