Bearing Fruit

There is a time for pruning.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. - John 15:1-11

It is not easy to cut things out of your life.  

In business, it is a normal cyclical activity.  When sales are down, people are cut.  Usually, the ones who performed the worst are the ones cut, but not always.

Sometimes the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater, as the saying goes.

But what Jesus is warning us about is God's selection process.  If we abide in Jesus and his words abide in us, we will bear much fruit, and thus be productive.

I know.  It sounds conditional and restrictive, but I don't think it is meant that way.

I see it more as a promise.

It is like the company boss who tells the team, look, stay the course, and you won't have to worry about being fired or laid off.  There is a place for all who believe in the company goals and strive for them.

Bearing Fruit is an analogy that may mislead us in our thinking, or it may be used to justify cutting out those who are committed to the cause but fall behind.

While Jesus is saying these things so that his joy is in them, and us, there is a bit of a warning here about straying from the course.

And it makes us think about the lesson where Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone.

To reconcile the two, we have to believe that until the moment comes when this life is over, we can still find ourselves grafted back onto the vine, so long as we seek to bear fruit in Christ.

The promise of eternal life with Christ is real, but we do have some work to do to make sure we get there.

More to come...