05/02/2021
There’s something reassuring about having your battery restored on your phone…like when my phone reads 100% there is something about it that makes me feel restored, ready to go. Last week we talked about our batteries being reverted to low power mode because we have been drained and are headed for empty. Our spiritual lives get this way when we are detached from the Vine (Jesus) for too long. In John 15 Jesus says He is the true vine, and when we (the branches) remain in Him we will produce much fruit. When we obey His commands, we remain in His love, producing fruit (blessings, gifts, relationships, love, joy, peace, patience, etc.) for the whole community to experience. Jesus gave them this instruction so that they may be filled with joy, and the joy will overflow (John 15.11).
What makes a tree healthy and stable is that it is cared for, pruned, watered and nurtured regularly. In its season the tree bears fruit because it has been tended to by the gardener. In Jesus’ metaphor, He is the vine to which the branches are connected. We are the branches that produce the fruit because we remain on the vine and God is the gardener. He tends to our needs. He makes sure we get all the sun we need, waters us, prunes parts of us that hinders our fruitfulness and is with us even in the cold, harsh winters. God is always preparing fruit even in the hard seasons.
During this season of change in our life, LeeAnna and myself (and the baby!) are staying connected to Jesus, remaining in Him as He calls us into a new harvest so we may continue to build His Kingdom. Even in seasons of change, where questions add up, we know that joy is still possible. So cling to Jesus, the vine, and know that God, the gardener, is always with you through each and every season making our joy complete, our batteries full.
