Relationships

Harvesting the Good Fruit

Relationships can be so rewarding

They were made to be a blessing

Our connections with one another become conduits of God’s blessings in our lives.

You can bless me and I can bless you.

You and I were called to be a blessing

How to bear good fruit?

John 15:1–4 NKJV

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

How to Bear Fruit:

Allow the branches that don’t produce fruit to be Cut

Allow The fruitful branches to be Pruned and Cleaned

Remain Focused and connected to the Vine

Allow The Branches that don’t Produce to be cut

John 15:2 NKJV

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

It’s hard to let go of things

But sometimes the things we want to hold onto are the very things that are keeping us from producing fruit.

If you are holding tight to something you don’t want to loose that usually means you have lost focus of the vine and have stopped producing fruit.

We should be eager to let go of things in our life that aren’t fruitful!

We can’t grow or become all that God intended us to be unless we let go of some things in our lives

What isn’t producing fruit in your life? What are the areas that seem dead?

Cutting seems harsh and brutal but its necessary for the health of the vine.

Allow The Fruitful Branches to be Pruned and Cleaned

I Say allow because God won’t force us. But if we don’t we will loose it.

Pruning means cutting off dead or overgrown branches with the intent of making it more fruitful

God Wants us to be Fruitful!

Even in the areas we are fruitful we need pruning.

There is a saying that says “ if it is working don’t mess with it”

That applies to some things but when it comes to God’s work in us we need to be pruned if we are to remain effective.

Remain Focused on the Vine

John 15:4 NKJV

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

Fruitfulness in the kingdom of God requires focus on the right thing. Not on the branches not on the fruit but the Vine!

Remain, live abide. These are the instructions for fruit.

You can’t be double minded and keep changing your direction. Fruit requires stability and consistency. Fruit is preceded by the blossom which is ver sensitive.

We must be diligent in our relationship with Christ! There are many distractions and things trying to keep us distracted !

You have the Word of God which is true and infallible.

God’s promises will never fail!

He is faithful and calls us to lean on Him and bear fruit!

Catch the Little Foxes

Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV

Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.

This is a poem of love! Its a song coming from a heart of love.

There is instruction in this poem of love to preserve the fruit of the vine.

The Only way to keep the foxes from destroying the blossom or the fruit is to catch the foxes.

A fox doesn’t come and only eat the fruit of the vine–they do much more damage. They like to gnaw on the trunk, dig holes around it and expose the roots. They don’t simply eat the grapes, they like to destroy the entire vine!

The little foxes...It usually isn’t the big things that hinder us. Its the small things. This is why Jesus is speaking about the small matters of the heart.How do we Catch the Foxes!What are the things that are truly helpful? what are the things that really edify us or build us up?If they don’t help then they are probably getting in the wayIf they don’t edify then they are probably destroying us.What are our thoughts? What are our attitudes? The Spirit of God and the word are here to help us discern the things that are’t helpful.Unfaithfulness, dishonor, selfishness, The vineyards are in Bloom! Ready to bear fruit… Now is the time to catch the foxes… so that the fruit of our labor isn’t lost.The harvest is ready lets make sure we are rounding up the little foxes that hinder the fruit and destroy the Blossom.