Fruit and The Vine

Jesus spoke mostly in parables using analogies that the people of His day could easily grasp. However He also knew that the people of times to follow would also be able to understand these simple concepts. Much like a professor of university courses would have to simplify the conversation if it were conducted with elementary school children, our Lord simplified His teachings so that we who are not divine would still embrace the critical points. Fruit, vines, trees, branches, farming in general were common themes for our Lord. The pictures that are provoked in our minds from these simple analogies are clear and often very vivid. Remember the fig tree that withered? Matthew 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing except leaves on it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. There is no mistaking the meaning of that moment in Jesus' and the disciples' lives. No fruit - no future!

In the Word, "fruit" is used over 150 times depending upon your translation. in the beginning in the Old Testament we read fruit as meaning exactly that - the product of plants and trees. A few times there is reference to the fruit of the womb - clearly indicative of future generations. However when we get to the Psalms, we see a transition to a figurative meaning of fruit that begins to lay the groundwork for Jesus' teachings while He was with us. This is continued through Proverbs. In Isaiah 4:2 we have a true foretaste of what we will be learning. In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. And so the references continue to multiple.

Fast forward to Jesus' time and place yourself in the midst of His followers. We would have grown up listening to the rabbis reading from the Holy Word. These readings would be resounding in our minds as Jesus began to speak to us. John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Life comes through the rooted vine/tree/plant. Everybody understands the dynamics of nature. Nourishment comes through the roots of the plant. If the branch is cut off, it will immediately cease to grow. It cannot and will not produce the fruit that may have resulted had it stayed connected to its source.

What about us? Are we staying connected to our source? Are we remaining in Jesus so that He can and will remain in us? Producing the fruit that has been predestined for us is only possible if we continue to receive our nourishment from the Source. We can start out strong and even "bud out", but if we decide to go it alone, thinking that we can make it on our own resources and our own strength, we are doomed to failure. None of us has what it takes to sustain our own lives. We are dependent upon His nurture, His care for us, and most importantly His power to give us life. Without Him we are headed in a single direction - death, no fruit from our little branch of the vine. We will quickly wither and become lifeless.

How we choose to stay connected so that we will remain in Jesus may look different for each of us. The key is to understand that remaining in Him means more than just reading the Bible. Remaining in Him so that He can remain in us means living a life that reflects His light and truth. Jesus remaining in us is only possible if we are pursuing a life that depends on Him and surrenders every aspect of our lives to Him. If we are truly connected to the source vine, then we acknowledge we cannot survive without Him. We give Him all the glory for our lives, for anything we achieve and anything that we have. All comes from the Vine to which we are attached. We are nothing without Him. We are dead without Him. We will indeed wither and die without His life giving force.

In this new year that is poised ahead of us, it is my fervent desire to see the connection between the Vine and my branch thicken and strengthen. I want to bear more fruit for Him than I have ever before. I acknowledge that it will only occur if I widen the veins between Him and me so that more of His life giving power can flow through and produce the greatest harvest ever for Him and for His kingdom. I am availing myself to Him, to my vine, to my Source. Prune me, feed me, harvest my fruit, O Lord!

True Wealth in our Lives

Everywhere we turn today - literally today - we are hearing some message about Christmas, be it either about Jesus being the reason for the season or the opposite controversy over putting Christ in Christmas because after all this is really "a secular holiday". I wondered if I was to follow the crowd and write about this week's celebration. Holy Spirit responded with a resounding no - there is something with far more impact on our eternal lives than this one day of remembrance. I pray that all of you, my wonderful readers, do not tire of hearing a theme here lately,but I am not released to leave it, so please bear with me.

What is the focus of our lives regarding the accumulation of wealth and indeed how do we define wealth? During this season of excess, we are truly being watched by our Lord in how we expend the resources that He has given to us. Please do not misunderstand; I am not negating the blessing of both giving and receiving gifts. The question I hear in my spirit is how balanced are we in this giving and receiving of gifts. For many of us, these are very lean times in which our incomes have been drastically reduced or for some our expenses have unexpectedly skyrocketed due to sickness or disaster. Have we made the necessary adjustments to our spending or are we trying to live up to others' expectations for Christmas?

James 5:3 Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. What is being described here are our earthly accumulations of material gain, whether that is money, property, possessions, even our reputation and image. Why will they stand as evidence against us on judgment day? Think about what it takes to accumulate wealth. Think about the time and effort it takes to maintain property and possessions. I often reflect on this because the Lord has blessed us with a lovely home that is far more than I ever wanted. I believe He has bestowed this to us because He expects it to be used for ministry. However, not a day goes by without my considering the time it takes to maintain it and continue to confirm with Him that this is still His heart's desire for us.

Ever since He has directed that I remain unemployed in the secular world, we have had to diligently consider how we manage on one income when at the time we arrived in this place we had two. However I know we still make mistakes for varying reasons. Christmas is probably a prime example. The joy of giving is so much fun and to be honest, sometimes I still feel like I am disappointing someone if we don't do a "little something". After all isn't it what we all do at Christmas? Then of course there are the charitable causes that abound this time of year. We need to bless this organization and that one. After all we have some resources and they need those resources. Right? Maybe you all don't have to deal with these issues. I wish I could fund every needy cause and still bless our family with sweet remembrances of our thoughts about them. The truth is though that we just don't have the resources we once had.

The irony of that statement and all of those emotions that I am experiencing is that I have never felt as wealthy as I do right at this moment. The Lord has provided us with what we need and beyond that He has enabled us to help out in varying situations at different times. Do we have a reserve stashed away and a healthy retirement fund to rely on? No. Do we have a faithful God who will continue to meet our needs and give us peace about where we are right now. Yes! I learned a number of years ago when I was facing a very uncertain future financially, not knowing from where my next house payment was coming or how I would pay the electric bill that He has me in the palm of His hand. I continued to walk in my trust and focus on kingdom issues instead of Janice issues. I was humbled and thrilled at the powerful peace that continued to surround and carry me. My wealth then as it does now lay in my relationship with my Lord and His plans for me in His kingdom work.

We are all very familiar with the scripture from Matthew 19:23-24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I'll say it again - it is easier for a camel (rope) to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" I have placed rope in parentheses because research has raised questions as to what Jesus really said during that conversation. Translators of ancient languages are now saying that the same word is used for camel as for rope or large beam. It was all determined by context. So to try to picture what Jesus was saying, imagine Him walking along the seashore teaching and pointing to an anchor rope while saying this to His followers. Now imagine these fishermen thinking about the needles with which they mend their nets and the anchor ropes that were used with their boats. Is it not a wonder that they said to Jesus, "Then who in the world can be saved?"

Immediately before Jesus spoke this truth to His disciples, a conversation is recorded between Jesus and a young rich man. Matthew 19:16-22 During this conversation the young man wants to know how to achieve eternal life. Jesus instructs him first about keeping all of the commandments. This is followed by the young man's claims to have obeyed all these commandments and inquiry as to what else must be done. When he is instructed further to sell all of his possessions, give everything to the poor and follow Christ, he leaves sad, because he had many possessions. Possessions can and will keep us from eternal life with our Lord.

Am I saying that we all are to become Mother Theresa's forsaking our occupations in this world to go and follow Christ? No. My personal belief is that God provides our occupations in order to provide the resources that we need to practice our profession - ambassadors of Christ. Paul was a tent maker and as he made his way throughout the known world at that time, he provided for himself through his occupation. His main focus though never changed - to preach the Good News to all with whom he came into contact. He never accumulated wealth that we can see, but he managed. God met him where he was and provided for his needs even when he was persecuted and imprisoned. Won't God do the same for us?

Permit me to refocus. We are blessed to be a blessing. Some individuals have been blessed with incredible wealth, and there is an obligation to be an equally incredible blessing to the kingdom. Those who have little also have an obligation to bless through what they have been given. It may look very different, but there will still be a blessing of the Kingdom through their meager resources. Utilizing what God has provided to us is a responsibility every believer has,whether we are the widow with two mites or a wealthy landowner with vast resources at his disposal. Seek where your true wealth lies and my prayer for you as you celebrate Jesus' birth is revelation as to where your wealth is. Merry Christmas!

Staying the Course...For How Long?

Theology today is so diverse it can become confusing especially to a new believer. When I say theology I am referencing man's interpretation of The Word of God. There are numerous interpretations out today that would have one believe that once they are forgiven by God, once they have accepted Jesus as Savior, the hard part is over. Relax, you are saved! However the actual Word of God does not support that perspective. Increasingly I am discovering scripture after scripture that actually indicates something very different from that.

Yes, accepting Christ's sacrifice as the atonement of our sins is indeed the most crucial decision anyone can make, but our walk with Him is only beginning from that point. Colossians 1:23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. Why would Paul be warning the people of Colosse to not drift away unless that has become a problem for them? His words are strong as he admonishes them to "stand firmly in (the truth)." Clearly there were distractions that were causing them to lose their focus on the Lord and the truth that had originally transformed their lives. We must conclude that if the early Christians could drift away when they still had the power of the anointing of the Apostles in their midst, how much easier it is for us all of these centuries later.

Drifting occurs when we are not paying attention. A boat drifts in the current when it is not being steered or actively powered. Suddenly its occupants realize they have drifted off course and now must work feverishly to get back to where they were headed. How often has that happened to us in our spiritual lives? Our walk with the Lord is suddenly way off course. We are puzzled at how in the world we ended up where we are. This was never our intention, yet here we are anyway - in a place that is dark, uncomfortable and totally lacking in intimacy with our Lord. Drifting... yes, it happens to even the best intentioned of us.

Another perspective on this same concern is presented to us in Psalm 125:4-5 O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord. Take them away with those who do evil. Three different groups of people are described here: those who are good; those who turn to crooked ways; and those who do evil. Once again, we see that there are people who once were good but "who turn to crooked ways." Evil is in this world, and as long as we are living in this world, we will have to deal with the evil. Temptation is all around us, but it is our choice what we do with that temptation. Do we succumb or do we "stand firm"?

We have the light of Christ within us from the day we accepted Him. Ephesians 5:8-9 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have the light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Notice the encouragement that comes to the Ephesians in that middle sentence, "So live as people of light!" Why would Paul tell them this if they were all walking in the light without any issues? He would not. Even then people needed to be reminded of what the expectations were for a believer. That has not changed in all of these centuries. We need to be reminded of the expectation for us to live as people of light.

We must reconcile ourselves to the fact that each and every day of our lives we will have to consciously focus on our walk with the Lord. If we allow ourselves to stop "steering the boat" in His direction, if we "turn off the power" by not studying the Word and not staying in fellowship with other believers, we are going to find it increasingly difficult to "stand firm". Philippians 1:10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. Focusing on what really matters will help us in living those pure and blameless lives. Note that we must do so until the day of Christ's return. Not just for the first few months or years of our life with Christ, but everyday until He comes back. No one knows how long that will be for any of us, but what is the same for each of us is the command to live pure and blameless lives for our entire lives. Christ will either take us from our graves or take us in the rapture. Either way, we must endure to the very end with our eyes on Him.

The Love Connection

Was there ever a time in your life when you suddenly, inexplicably felt connected to someone so strongly that it was almost overwhelming? The love that flowed between you was almost electric. When you were in his/her presence there was so much energy pulsating that you literally glowed. I pray that sometime in your life, you have experienced that kind of love. But more importantly my prayer is that you have felt that way about your relationship with our Lord and are still glowing as a result of it. The indefinable love of God in our lives can indeed be that powerful, that overwhelming, that energizing. However we cannot ever take it for granted.

Romans 8:39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed nothing in all of creation - will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Nothing in all of creation ~ that is a powerful statement. It might lead some people to believe that once they have experienced the love of God, it can never disappear from their lives. The reality is that I know many individuals who love the Lord but feel as if He is not speaking to them, or worse that He is not concerned about their circumstances. If He loved them so much, why are their lives in such chaos? Why does it feel as if nothing will ever be right in their lives? Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt distant from the love of God and felt darkness closing in around you?

Having suffered through depression, I know what it is to be in a deep dark hole and not want to connect with anyone. Personally, I knew God was with me in the hole, but it was still incredibly dark. I did not want to get out; life was just too hard at that moment. I wanted to be with Him in eternity and be done with this earth/life stuff. I was not suicidal; I just had no desire to continue fighting the good fight. So where was this powerful love of God from which no power could separate me?

It was right there. Do you know why I could not embrace the love? Read the last phrase in the scripture above - that is revealed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. If I want to experience the fullness of the love of God, I must look for it in Christ Jesus. I need to understand that it is not just laying out there like the dust that occasionally covers my furniture. :-) No the love of God about which Paul is writing is more like the beautiful wildflowers that grow in the depths of the forest. If you want to enjoy their beauty and their fragrance you must go look for them, then bend down and inhale their scent. We must seek Jesus in our lives and when we encounter Him do everything we can to enjoy the fullness of His presence. We do have a responsibility in this relationship.

There are seasons in all of our lives when our circumstances can be so burdensome that we feel as if we are in the depths of the forest with no sunshine breaking through. As hard as it is during those seasons, we must seek the revelation love of Christ. It is only through His love and His carrying our burden that we can move out of that darkness, that heaviness. More than any other time in our lives we need to pursue Him and believe that His love is powerful, healing and available to us.

It is true, there is no power in the sky above or in the earth below that will ever separate us from the love of God - except us. We can separate ourselves from Him. We can make the decision to turn our backs on what He is offering to us and immerse ourselves in the muck and mire of our lives. You don't have to deny the existence of God to separate yourselves from Him. You simply ignore His outstretched hand and His waiting arms. Were you ever lost as a child and felt that desperation of being totally alone and fearing that your mom or dad will never find you - or you them? As a parent, I have experienced one of my sons wandering away on a crowded boardwalk at the beach when my attention was on his little brother. One moment and he was gone. We searched and searched fear growing in our hearts, then suddenly we saw that red striped shirt and that coal black hair as he meandered towards us. The irony was he was not lost in his eyes; he was just checking things out.

How about you? Are you just checking things out and temporarily wandered away from the love of your Father God and your precious Savior Jesus not forgetting the infinite power of Holy Spirit quietly waiting inside you for recognition again? Or perhaps you are lost in the depths of the forest and don't see the sunshine or the wildflowers. Let me encourage you to turn running back to Him. Let Him embrace you and reassure you of how much He loves you and misses you. He did not leave us; we wandered away from Him. He is there waiting - go and enjoy His love in its fullness!