Producing Good Fruit

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.                                                                                          (John 15:1-8 KJV)

Being fruitful; now there is a novel concept! When a tree bears fruit who gets to enjoy the fruit? It is not the tree. It is you and me.

So what is the purpose for us to bear fruit? Is it not, just as the tree, for others? 

Jesus expects us to bear fruit as is heard in these scripture verses from the Gospel of John. But, just as the branch on a tree we cannot bear fruit without the tree. The tree brings nourishment from it's roots to the branches so that from the branches fruit may be produced and harvested. As branches of the tree of life, who is Jesus the Christ, we cannot produce fruit unless we are connected to him. We must abide in Christ in order to bring good fruit for the nourishment and well-being of others.

May you abide in Christ and he in you that you might bear much fruit and glorify our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Reverence And Godly Fear

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 KJV)

With reverence and godly fear; what a concept! God is who He is and He is much more than is often apparent when observing the life of the church. We forget that He gives life and He can take it away. (Job 1:21) He gave us the kingdom through the further gift of His Son. But, do we really want it? Or, is it the world that we desire? So often, the way things are done are done merely for expediency or to please individuals we think might benefit us or even the church. 

No one can benefit us as God has done! God gives us all things. Some of those things we may not appreciate as much as others; at least, not until He takes them away. Then they are missed. We ought not consider any gift from God as a trifling thing. The greatest gift that God has given us is the life of His Son through whom we have received God's grace; through whom we have received the kingdom. There is nothing more important in our lives than that. Will we respect and honor the gifts of God? Or, will we continue to strive after things of this world disrespecting the one true God who has given us so much? 

Saying, I believe, and not worshiping God with reverence and godly fear is no more than the devils do. (James 2:19) We should so fear and love God. What does this mean? It means we should honor him in all that we say and think and do. And, just because no man is capable of doing that perfectly; that does not mean that we should not live our lives striving to honor Him and glorify His name. 

God has given us so much. He can also take it away. He is God. Set aside the false gods. Let your ego die that Christ might live in and through you that our Father in heaven is served with reverence, love, and godly fear.

God's Peace - Pr. J