40 Days Pondering the Fruit of the Spirit
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 11 | FUNDAMENTALS of GROWING HEALTHY FRUIT
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 11 | FUNDAMENTALS of GROWING HEALTHY FRUIT
FUNDAMENTALS OF GROWING HEALTHY FRUIT
John 15:1-4
“I am the true Vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the Vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (NIV)
As we continue our 40 days pondering the Fruit of the Spirit, we need to consider Jesus’ teaching here to the disciples.
Jesus paints the picture of a grapevine – prevalent in that era – and how the entire purpose of the vine was to produce fruit. How does that happen?
All of us have, I suppose, planted something and tried to get it to grow. And whether that plant is supposed to produce flowers or greenery or… as in this case, grapes, sometimes they do… and sometimes they don’t. If a branch of that plant is not doing well, the knowledgeable gardener will trim it to get it to turn around, be healthy, and produce fruit.
Jesus also teaches the disciples that “no branch can bear fruit by itself, but it must remain in the vine.”
This is understandable in the agricultural setting, but have you ever considered that it is the SAME for we who are in Christ too? In Christ, we have the Holy Spirit inside our spirits and with Him come ALL the Fruit of the Spirit. YET, if we don’t listen to the Lord daily and strive to let the Holy Spirit produce that FRUIT in our lives, we can become like a barren branch in need of some intense action… by Father God, the Gardener.
Stay connected to the Vine. You don’t want to be “cut-off.”
Prayer: Father God, I desire to have a healthy connection to the Vine. Jesus is the Vine, and I want to know Him better every day. Amen.
John 15:1-4
“I am the true Vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the Vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (NIV)
As we continue our 40 days pondering the Fruit of the Spirit, we need to consider Jesus’ teaching here to the disciples.
Jesus paints the picture of a grapevine – prevalent in that era – and how the entire purpose of the vine was to produce fruit. How does that happen?
All of us have, I suppose, planted something and tried to get it to grow. And whether that plant is supposed to produce flowers or greenery or… as in this case, grapes, sometimes they do… and sometimes they don’t. If a branch of that plant is not doing well, the knowledgeable gardener will trim it to get it to turn around, be healthy, and produce fruit.
Jesus also teaches the disciples that “no branch can bear fruit by itself, but it must remain in the vine.”
This is understandable in the agricultural setting, but have you ever considered that it is the SAME for we who are in Christ too? In Christ, we have the Holy Spirit inside our spirits and with Him come ALL the Fruit of the Spirit. YET, if we don’t listen to the Lord daily and strive to let the Holy Spirit produce that FRUIT in our lives, we can become like a barren branch in need of some intense action… by Father God, the Gardener.
Stay connected to the Vine. You don’t want to be “cut-off.”
Prayer: Father God, I desire to have a healthy connection to the Vine. Jesus is the Vine, and I want to know Him better every day. Amen.