Fruit bearing

Olivia, our three-year-old, is impatiently waiting for the pear trees to produce ripened pears. Each day, out in the yard, she will say, "Are the pears ready yet?" And, Trish or I will have to reply, "No, baby. They have just started producing the fruit. It'll be a couple of months."

There are few things that compare with watching the trees go from dormancy, to full of blooms, to putting on the first stages of fruit, to producing ripe, delicious fruit. It's a lot of fun to gather the fruit with the kids. The fruit-producing cycle is also very spiritual.

Today's word is John 15:5, NIV, which reads, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."

The more we abide in JESUS, the more we rely on Him to provide what we need when we need it, the more we will grow and ripen and produce. Being attached to JESUS, abiding in Him, drawing closer to Him will provide us with the spiritual nourishment we need to become the product that He has planned us to be.

Then, comes the last part of the verse, "...apart from Me you can do nothing." Fruit cannot grow, limbs cannot grow, if they aren't attached to the tree. Once a limb falls off a tree, it dies. Once a piece of fruit falls from the tree, it begins to die - growth stops. If you want to grow and become more like CHRIST, you have to remain attached to Him. If we will do that, we will bear much fruit.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T