Fruit, More Fruit, Much Fruit!

My mom has a huge fig tree in her back yard. Last year, she had a bumper crop of figs and ended up canning some and making a lot of preserves. For some reason, during the winter, a large part of the tree died and she was concerned how the tree would do this year. Well, not to worry, the tree is lush with greenery and FULL of figs and she should get her canning supplies ready!

Any gardener will tell you that if you want your plants to grow, you trim them back and prune off dead blooms or branches so that the plant’s energy is most effective, so that the thriving part of the plant continues to grow and flourish with plenty of nutrients. John 15:1 tells us that Jesus is the true Vine and God is the Vinedresser, meaning Jesus is the plant and God is the gardener. Verse 2 says “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.”

In Romans 11, Paul is speaking to the Gentiles, explaining to them that even though Jews are God’s chosen people, they were “adopted” into His family with as much love and “claim to the estate” as the chosen. Verse 17 says, “Some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree.” Some of the branches broken off…Paul is speaking of the Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Remember John 15 says branches that don’t bear fruit He takes away. This doesn’t mean God doesn’t love them, but to keep the House thriving, He must cut off that which is draining to the rest of the plant. Then it says that even the branches that bear fruit need pruning…this is the painful but necessary part.

I have a beautiful bed of azalea plants but one day I noticed something growing among them that didn’t belong. When I looked closer, I saw that it was a nasty, prickly vine that was weaving its way around the healthy branches of the azalea. I traced it back to the dirt and dug it up before it could do more damage. Left alone, the unwanted could strangle out the wanted. Left unchecked, we allow things to grow on us that cause us to be unfruitful. Maybe it’s addiction, laziness, unforgiveness…whatever it is, we are not thriving and God has to remove things from us so they don’t choke us out. That’s the pruning…He’s not cutting you off, just trimming you back so that you remember your purpose and have the necessary nutrients to prosper in that direction.

So, why did I mention my mom’s fig tree? The reason it is thriving is because the dead part fell away, which allowed all the nutrients in the soil to focus on the living branches, causing them to be healthier than before. We are the living branches of Christ Jesus and our purpose is to bear fruit. This doesn’t mean you’re going to start growing apples, but when your heart is right, there should be love in the house, growth in the church, and change in our communities. Remain in Christ…stay connected to Him. Romans 11:18 “…remember, it is not you who support the Root, but the Root that supports you.”