Keys to Growth - 9

I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

This photo was taken at the cellar door of a vineyard in the Hunter Valley. This grapevine was trained up a veranda post and was only there for decoration but it was preparing to bear fruit just like its cousins in the vineyard nearby because fruit bearing is in its DNA.  Given the right conditions of nutrients and climate it couldn't help but bear fruit.

Jesus likened our relationship with him, and our ability to bear fruit, to a vine.  He said that if we stay connected to him and allow his life to flow into us we cannot help but bear his kind of fruit.  How do we do that? Further on in verse 7 he says it again with an addition... "...if you abide in me and my words abide (remain) in you, you may ask for anything you want and it will be given to you." (NLT).  That seems like such a simple promise but sometimes we misunderstand it.  That's why we have to read in context and compare scripture with scripture so that we get understanding.  God is not just going to give us whatever we ask for, like a father spoiling his child.  There is a purpose to his giving, and that is found in the following verse (8), to bring glory to God.

The key to this is in the abiding which is to be vitally connected to Jesus and having his words residing within us, not just in a head knowledge way but in a way that gives us intimate understanding of His ways and desires for His children.  Proverbs, the book of wisdom. speaks a lot about getting understanding.  Get wisdom but also get understanding (Prov 4:7).

 I think we all like that verse in Psalms 37:4 which says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart."   The promise is conditional; we first have to delight, make merry, rejoice, in the Lord.  To do that we need to know him, have a relationship with him which means we have to spend time with him, get to know him and how wonderful he is, then we take pleasure in him.

It is an ongoing challenge for me to spend meaningful time with Jesus.  It's not easy to quiet myself  and my mind for long enough to hear him clearly but when I take the time to nestle into his presence and allow his words to soak into my being and become a very part of me, I truly become delighted with him.  When I am delighted with him, he becomes my heart's desire.  Fruit bearing then just happens.  Just like the vine, we don't have to struggle and push and try hard to bear fruit, it will come naturally.  The struggle is about making the decision to spend time with God, alone in his presence.
Will you join me in a new season of actively pursuing his presence to allow the nutrients of his Word and Spirit to bring forth a harvest in us that will bring him glory?  It will be worth it.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, help me to take the time to delight myself in you so that I will bear much fruit for your glory, for I cannot do it without abiding in you.  Amen