"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so
shall ye be my disciples." John 15:8
God doesn't ask us to produce fruit but to bear fruit. Have
you ever thought that produce and bear meant the same
thing. If you think about it - they are not the same at all.
To produce means to make more. That is not what God
asks us to do - HE says he wants us to bear fruit. Don't you
think that means to carry, uplift and take care
of HIS fruit?
The Creator is the only One that can produce fruit ----
whether we are speaking of the sweet grapes on the vine or the or
the new Christians accepting the sweet Holy Spirit - it is GOD alone
that creates both miracles.
Thus if we are to BEAR His fruit - we should be carrying - and
caring for - for ourselves and others that are of the "sweet
vine", right?
In bearing HIS fruit we should be:
Reading God's Word Daily
Being intercessors - praying for others every day
Reaching others by practicing kind deeds in HIS name
Being a Godly example to friends and family in our daily life
Lifting others countenance when they are down
Encouraging our pastors and teachers
Standing with those that are going through trials
and yes, even correcting (by using Godly means) those believers
that are not honoring God by sinning.I love vine-ripened tomatoes.
They stay on the vine the whole time they are coming to their sweetest
form. That is a great picture of how God expects us to become the
sweetest and ripest "Fruit" for HIM.
As God's "FRUITS" (servants) - as we ripen so should we
help the others on the vine to do the same. We can be the "best
for picking" that way.
I really appreciate our local orchard owner. Mrs. Brown is truly
"BEARS" the fruit in her orchards. She hires a lot of
local people to help her take care of the apple crops. They work hard
to prune the trees for the highest yield, apply the right natural
pesticides to produce beautiful healthy fruit, and each year they
plant more trees for future crops.
God may "pick" us to serve in a foreign land, to be a
pastor, to teach a Sunday School class, to teach scripture to others,
to be an encouragement to many, to be a prayer warrior - we can be
ripe for the picking for so many ways to bring God honor and glory.
So - no longer concern yourself of producing fruit for the Lord.
Just determine to bear (take care of ) your own fruit and bear
(take care of) the others - Christians, and non Christians, that are
around you. You will RIPEN and bring much honor and glory to HIM
when you do.
"I am the vine, you are the branches: he that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without
me ye can do nothing." John 15:5
Copyright 2004 Emmalea Butler
joyfullyservingHIM@nlbaptist.com
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