Being Fruitful!

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me." (John 15:4 NLT)

Sometimes, The Word--all by itself--convicts us to the very core of our being. This entire chapter tells us everything we need to know about how our relationship with God works.

It is not enough to come to the cross and allow the blood of Jesus to wash us cleaner than snow; we have to remain there, soaking it up, always remembering the sacrifice He made. When we remain--staying put--in the arc of safety He provides, then we will be able to produce good fruit--help develop other believers by what they hear us say.

Whenever we get off track--attempting to promote our own version of the Gospel--God then prunes us, cuts off the dead leaves and branches that are no longer productive, so that the healthy part of us can thrive and we can bring others into the glorious light of Jesus Christ.

This is why we must speak God's Truth and not our own.

This has never been made clearer to me than when I moved into a new house. There was a rose bush that had been tended by the previous owner, but it was being neglected. Since I am not overly fond of gardening, I simply cut back all the dead branches, thinking that would be the end of it. Within a few weeks, green growth sprouted and rosebuds appeared. Every time I cut off the old, spotted leaves, new ones grew. And even though, I keep thinking that bush is going to die, whenever it is pruned, it thrives.

I thank God for His constant pruning  in my life--cutting away all the dead stuff that does not work or bring Him glory--and keeping me from receiving new insight from Him, giving me more to share with others that they, too can walk in the light and receive His many blessings.

Whenever new people start following my blog, I give thanks. I don't always know why they are following me, but I do know that I will keep promoting The Gospel and sharing what God gives to me. So, the fruit that is being developed--is the act of someone deciding to follow me on social media and hopefully, they are developing a relationship with God and allowing Him to prune them, so they will also grow and be fruitful.

Lord Jesus, I thank You daily for speaking to my heart and allowing me to share what You give me. Bless all those who follow me as I follow You and create in them a heart to want to be pruned, so we may thrive to Your glory, producing more and more fruit!