Fruit Seekers?

6/27/2010 - Fruit Seekers?

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  John 15:4 ESV


    Many people enjoy fruit.   Fruit is sweet and refreshing.  We use it in juice, salads, desserts or just eat it plain.  Most people will enjoy some type of fruit during the course of their lives.  But do we ever take time to think about how it came into existence?  How did this scrumptious edible item make its way from where it was to where I am? 
   
    Many fruit in its natural habitat we may find growing on a vine.  Some of the sweetest fruit we enjoys grow this way.  Strawberries, watermelon, grapes, kiwi, all grow on vines.  From the vine grows a branch and from the branch grows the fruit.  So before fruit even begins to bud, the other two items have to be in place.  There must be a vine and there must be a branch.  If both are in place, you have the right conditions to bear fruit.  

    Yet as humans, we often want the fruit without the trouble of the vine or the branch.  We just want the result of what the vine and branch produce.  Sometimes I think that in a non-agricultural society, we don’ get many of the references Jesus makes in describing things in Scripture.  Maybe since we just go to the grocery store and pick out our fruit from a section of shelves or a pre-packaged bag, we don’t think twice about how it actually came into existence.  Yet, prior to our trip to the store there was a process involved. 

    The vine supplies the branch all of the nourishment it needs in order to start producing fruit.  The branch must stay connected to the vine in order for the process to be completed.  Fruit comes later after it has gotten to the point of receiving the proper nourishment.  Then buds begin to form. First it starts small, then grows larger and larger until it is ready to be picked and eaten.  This process is not overnight.  It does take time for these things to occur.  The vinedresser must not be impatient with the branch for not producing fruit if it is not yet time.  A good vinedresser knows when it is time for the branch to bear its fruit. 

    Jesus makes it clear that He is the vine that we must stay connected to in order for us to bear fruit.  Abiding in Jesus means to make Him the focus of your life.  Abiding in Him means to go to Him for everything.  It means to allow Him to be the source of your everything.  You get your strength from Him, your joy from Him, your peace from Him and you don’t seek it elsewhere. You remain attached to the source of your nourishment and at the right time, you will see fruit being produced without you doing anything but abiding in Him.  We don’t have to focus on the fruit if we focus on Christ.  The fruit is a natural byproduct of abiding in Him.  When we focus on the fruit we try to do everything ourselves.  We don’t even really know what kind of fruit we are supposed to bear without Him.  He has to be our source. 

    Many people think they know what being fruitful means.  Maybe to some it means having a nice car or large house or even a bountiful bank account.  But all of these things will be left right here when they go to be with God.  That cannot be the extent of what Jesus is talking about when He says that we shall bear fruit.  The fruit that comes from abiding in Him will have nothing to do with money but everything to do with peace.  It won’t have anything to do with the size of your house, but everything to do with who you invited to your home.  It won’t have anything to do with your car, but who you gave a ride.  It won’t have anything to do with the size of your bank account but everything to do with whom you blessed with your financial wealth.  The fruit that Jesus speaks of is not material.  When we focus on material wealth we are looking to bear the wrong fruit.  When we seek after these things instead of learning to abide in Christ, we are not producing anything eternal at all.  Anything we do produce will wither and die.  How long can fruit actually last when it is disconnected from its vine?  Not long at all.  Remain in Christ and a fruitful life will not ever be an issue.