229 of 365 - Bearing Fruit

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2
 
​I’m going out on a limb to declare that we ALL want to bear fruit. We all want our life to matter for something bigger than ourselves. We want to make a difference and we want to live a joy-filled life.
 
Jesus shows us how to get there, but there is a price…though not as high as doing nothing. The shears come out either way.
 
If we are not bearing fruit, we will ultimately get cut off the vine completely, left to wither, dry up, and die. But even when we are bearing fruit, the shears come out. This time for the purpose of pruning…SO THAT more fruit may be produced. No matter the size of the harvest, there is always opportunity for more fruit.
 
No one escapes the touch of the shears, but the outcome is vastly different.
 
Pruning takes on different forms depending on what we need in our fruit-bearing journey. And pruning, even with the promise of a beautiful outcome, is just plain hard.
 
But the alternative is never experiencing the fullness of joy He promises. It is remaining in just-okay-limbo-land…or worse.
 
Here's some good news: If we commit to the abiding in Him, in His Word, in His commandments, He promises to give us what we ask and need to stay there, to withstand the pruning, and to come out stronger and more fruitful on the other side.
 
Questions: Where are you today? Do you feel cut off? Are you in the middle of a beautiful harvest after a season of pruning (praise God!)? Are you in the midst of the pruning? Are things such a mess you don’t even know where you are? Wherever you are, commit to quiet time. Dig in His word. When He speaks, listen and obey…no matter how hard…trust He will be there to help as He promises