Branching Out

Purpose of fruit in nature, carries the seeds of the vine to create new vines.

John 15:1-17

The Vine and the Branches
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

God is the gardener. He tends the seeds, branches, vines.

He prunes the vine. Pruning is painful, but necessary for the vine to grow, pruning cuts off the dead branches that bear no fruit so that the branches that do bear fruit will bear more fruit, much fruit.

By remaining in the Vine, in the Word, the Word will remain in us. As a branch cannot bear fruit without being attached to the vine and the vine being in the good soil, being tended; neither can we bear fruit (scatter seeds) without abiding in the Word, being pruned, tended by God, that He clears the soil for new seeds to accept the soil.

To glorify the Lord, we must show that it is because of HIM that we bear fruit. Obeying Jesus' commands, we must show that we ARE in the vine, we ARE being tended by God and we DO trust him to do a good work in us, taking care of us. He will protect us from storms, but if the storm will prune dead branches, sometimes he might allow the storm to do the pruning. A light, mild storm will break off easily broken branches.

He has chosen us, all of us to be his disciples. Accept the call.

God bless.