Tag Archives: Bearing Fruit

Bearing Fruit

Kingdom Building

July 11, 2019

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. –Colossian 1:3-8

Kingdom building is all about bearing fruit. Someone prepares the ground, someone plants, someone weeds and waters, and someone harvests. The cycle then repeats itself from one generation to another. One of my nieces recently bought a home and has recently discovered what she got as fruit trees in her backyard began to produce abundantly. She is now the nurturer and the harvester for the work of those who went before her. Although she grew up on a farm she did not have much experience with fruit trees and thus her first act was to contact the Home Demonstration services to learn how to care for those trees.

This same type cycle exists for growing the Kingdom of God. Our ancestors in faith plowed and planted and we now are called to grow and nurture. That requires us to seek all the knowledge we can to guide us on out way. It also requires us to maintain well our contact with the Source of the seeds which is Love.

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. — John 15:4-5, 7, 16

Prayer: Lord, help us together grow abundant quality fruits of your Spirit. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Honor of Serving God

bearing-fruitLiving in the Spirit
July 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Colossians 2:6-19

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. –Colossians 2:6-7

What does it mean to live our lives in Christ? I stumbled on an article recently that shared ways to store vegetables and fruits to keep them fresh longer. Placing fresh asparagus in a glass container with water in its base adds days to asparagus’ “refrigerator life.” Sorry, I cannot quote the source. I think it is a good metaphor illustrating living in Christ where our connectively to Christ contributes to our ability to bear fruit. John 15:5 puts it this way, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

Christ expects us to do a lot of hard, often thankless, work. In many instances, like with Abraham, we may never see the fruit of our labors. I have experienced joy in completing tasks that seemed impossible at their start, knowing the rewards of labor for itself. Here Colossians calls us to express thanksgiving to God for the gift Christ is to each of us and all of us and for the honor to be even a small player as we produce fruit in support of his goal of making God’s way, the way of the world.

Living in an age when much work is automated even communications, we are challenged to find new and better ways to do the work of God’s love. What fruit are we producing to bring Christ’s vision to fruition in such a times as this? What is our vision for our role in the rollout of the Kingdom of God? Are we grateful for the opportunity to serve God through Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the opportunities to love that you spread before me. Help me to run toward them rather than being so distracted by the busyness of life that I miss the important moments of your calling. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Letting Go

chaffAdvent
December 13, 2015

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:7-18

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. –Luke 3:15-18

Cleansed by fire seems an oxymoron; after all ashes are messy. Yet we all have chaff of which to rid ourselves. Chaff is a good thing actually. The protective coat that surrounds a new seed as it grows to maturity. For the seed to become a plant, it must shed that coat. I like to eat pistachio nuts, actually I like to eat just about any nut. I buy the pistachios in packages where the shells have already been opened. In some instances, it is necessary to use a knife to widen the opening to get to the meat of the nut. Occasionally, the shell is so hard it did not crack at all, and I have discovered that if opened by force the nut is usually pulverized and rendered worthless.

Maturing in faith is like maturing in life. Before we can bear fruit, we must become a plant not just a seed. Before we can become a plant, we must let go of the things that shield us from growing into the person God created us to be just like the seed needs to be separated from the chaff. Once the chaff is gone, as hard as we may try, we can never climb back into it.

Of course, that is just a first step in an ongoing process of being in relationship with God, being nurtured in a community of faith, and becoming a nurturer in a community of faith.

Prayer: God grant us the courage to strive toward wholeness so that we might bear much fruit in your Kingdom. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Bearing Fruit

Bearing fruitAdvent
December 12, 2015

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:7-18

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ –Luke 3:7-9

“No thank you, I don’t care for any.” I said as the hostess offered me a wonderful selection of sweets carefully arranged on a Christmas themed plate. The lady sitting next to me took a piece of chocolate as the plate was extended to her, thanked the hostess, and then turned to me and said, “You’re lucky, you don’t need to watch your weight. I’ll have to get back with the program after the holidays.” When situations like this occur, I often want to say, “If you are going to eat the candy, enjoy it. Feeling guilty about eating it will not shave off one calorie.” I have never said it. I, like others, who have to constantly work at weight maintenance must constantly be efficient with what we eat. Nutrition comes first for me, but having a piece of chocolate at a party means I will extract its equivalent calories somewhere else on that day or the next. The fruit I bear that is worthy of my repentance from eating more than I burn, is less weight on bad knees, normal blood pressure, and a general feeling of wellbeing.

It is hard to bear fruits worthy of repentance all the time. Although, I will admit, better habits can be developed, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly they can be lost. The history of the Israelites echoes the highs and lows of being in favor with God, falling out of favor, repenting and repeating the cycle over and over again until they finally ended up in exile. John the Baptist is challenging the descendants of Abraham to not just repent but to bear the good fruit that results from the repentance. He is paving the way for the one who is coming to show them the way to bear that fruit. We are the inheritors of this wisdom.

Prayer: God grant us the wisdom to follow your way not just in our personal lives but particularly in our spreading your love through our communities to the ends of the earth. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.