Before we moved to this house in 2007, one of our neighbors planted an apple and a peach tree on the other side of our fence. Since we’ve been here, the trees have never been pruned. No matter who lives in the house next door, (and we are on our fifth owner), those trees have been neglected. Five years ago, neither bore fruit. The past two years there weren’t even blossoms. What a shame because the first year we lived in this house apples and peaches were plentiful.
Jesus spoke in John 15 about vines and branches and about the work of the Father in keeping those branches healthy and 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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit…. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me…. by this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” [NKJV]
A few things are evident from this passage in John 15. First, we aren’t going to bear any fruit at all unless we stay connected to the true vine, Jesus Christ. Abide is the Greek word, meno, and it simply means to stay put. So, we stay put in Christ Jesus.
The second thing is that we are expected to bear fruit. That’s what vine branches are for after all — to bear fruit.
And the third, if we are bearing fruit, God is going to prune away anything that hinders the bearing of much fruit. Pruning is good for us.
Father, I need a little pruning! I want to bear much fruit. Amen and Amen.
