|
Recently my daughters and I have taken on the project of a huge garden that has not been well tended for a few years. This garden includes Muscadine grape vines. In order to prune the vines correctly, I watched several videos and did some reading. I have been pruning the vines as best I can. As I prune, the Holy Spirit has reminded me of the comparison of our lives as Christians with the branches of the vines in John chapter 15.
We will return to John 15 later, but first we must understand what fruit looks like in our lives. Galatians 5:22 describes the fruit of our lives this way: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These represent Christ’s character in our lives in a tangible way.
Some of the things the Holy Spirit revealed as I pruned, are (underlined portions are from studying how to prune grape vines):
All energy for fruit production:
In our lives, all our energy must be directed toward fruit production, developing God’s character in us. Actually, God provides everything for fruit producing as we submit to His master gardener plan. Our job is to abide in the vine, Jesus Christ. Because He gives us free will, we can expend valuable energy and resources on things that do not produce fruit in our lives. It is our choice. Left unattended, the grape vines produce more leaves and wood than fruit. And we can do the same.
Remove competing stems:
Many things in our lives compete for our energy, time, resources and strength. God will remove those things that compete with our love relationship with Him if we allow Him to. We can also find ourselves competing with one another in the body of Christ instead of celebrating our gifts and those of others and loving one another.
Current season shoots bear the fruit:
It is the current season shoots that bear fruit on the grape vine. For us this is true also. Sometimes we are tempted to live on yesterday’s relationships with God and others. This can cause us to stop bearing fruit as God is moving us into a new season with Him with new lessons and new relationships. Hanging on to the old and not letting go can minimize fruit production.
Buds come on last season growth:
The new buds appear on last season’s growth. If we have not fully learned what God was teaching us in our last season, the new growth for this season will be limited.
Bleeding at pruning wounds does not harm the vine:
Sometimes God’s pruning really hurts. The wounds God inflicts are meant for our good so that we can continue to grow and produce more fruit.
Remove spur clusters to prevent entangled, unmanageable, fruitless masses of shoots and leaves:
Sometimes our lives become so clustered around certain activities or certain people, that we become entangled and fruit production is no longer the focus. We grow unhealthy, unmanageable and fruitless relationships.
Remove tendrils wrapped around that become extremely tough and wiry and will kill shoots:
We sometimes put out tendrils that wrap themselves so tightly to something or someone that they prevent us from growing and remaining tender. Our hearts can become hard and we hold tightly to things that kill the fruit in our lives.
Remove diseased wood:
Satan loves to steal our fruit production and bring dis-ease into our lives. When we are not at ease with God, ourselves and others, there is no fruit. This dis-ease must be cut away and disposed of. We do this by submitting to God and resisting the devil.
Remove runners with no support:
Sometimes we get carried away on a path that has not been set by God in His plan for us. Like the runners shooting out from the grape vine, we are unable to bear the weight of any fruit and it is lost. We must be disciplined by God to bring us back close to him.
Now let’s look at John 15:
Jesus said, (v 1,2,4) “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. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
(v 5-8) I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
(v 16-17) You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: ‘Love each other.’”
The best, biggest, sweetest grapes are those that grow closest to the vine. That is true of us as well. We must abide (bear patiently, endure without yielding, wait for, accept without objection, remain stable or fixed in a state) close to Jesus Christ.
In our Life Group, we have been learning to discern the voice of God and His pruning in our lives so we will be more like Him. One of the best ways I know to do this is to measure the fruit in my life. If in any situation, I am lacking in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, I need to go to God and ask him to show me where I am not aligned with Him and His plan for my life and then obey what He shows me.
Keeping an eye on the fruit in my life, has been a great road map to walking with God. Of course, I am not always successful, but it keeps me moving toward the goal.
This fruit is also visible to those around us in our sphere of influence and also to total strangers we encounter. More than anything else in our lives, our fruit will have an impact on others. Jesus says we will be known by our fruit. What fruit are you and I producing?
And finally, to the rewards of fruit bearing. We bring God glory! This should be the highest aim in our lives. And for us, we show to the world that we are Jesus’ disciples. Then our Father will give us whatever we ask in Jesus’ name. How awesome is that?
The grape vines have given me a visual of how God works in our lives. It’s a lesson I won’t forget!!!
| 
