January 15 - The Cost Of Being Fruitful.

John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
 
In John 15, we have a beautiful picture of our relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father.
 
Imagine a man walking the fields of a vineyard, observing the fruit of his labourers. He walks up and down each row, inspecting the condition of the branches of the vines. 
 
Some have no grapes on them, so he uproots the plant and removes it from the field. 
Some have a few grapes, so he prunes the shoots in order to produce more growth, and therefore more fruit.
 
The pruning hurts the branch some, but the man knows that this is what is best in the long run. Not too long from now, he will return to the field to find this pruned branch bearing more fruit and therefore fulfilling its true purpose. 
 
This analogy is very similar to how we are able to produce more fruit as children of God. 
 
We are connected to the True Vine, the Lord Jesus Christ, the moment we trust in Him by faith for salvation.
 
John 15:5
“I am the vine, ye 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.”
 
Each of us are branches being inspected by our Father, and our fruitfulness depends upon our connection to His Son, Jesus Christ.
 
When we produce some fruit, God sees the areas of our lives that prevent us from bearing much fruit, and often chooses to purge or prune those areas in order to enable us to produce more fruit for His glory.
 
John 15:8
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”
 
The purging is hurtful at the time, but like a good parent chastens their children in order to teach them to do right, so does our Heavenly Father as He sees what we don’t.
 
Trust Him in the midst of your purging season, and look forward to the promise that this situation will allow you to become more fruitful for His glory.
 
John 15:11
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
 
We can have joy in the midst of the purging seasons as we abide in Him.
 
 
Bible Reading:
Genesis 29-30    |     John 15