Thought of the Day !!

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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

                                  John 15:1-2 (ESV)

Today as I read this verse I'm drawn to the word fruit.  We might think about the Fruits of the Spirit; love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  More precisely at this particular junction I believe Jesus to be speaking of the fruit of love because he continues with the command to love one another as he has loved us.

Those of us who don't produce love are taken away.  Later on in verse 6 he is much more direct.  He says that those of us who don't abide in him and produce fruit (love) will be "thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown int the fire, and burned."  I don't know about you, but this doesn't sound very pleasant to me.  

Jesus, however, seems to focus more here on those who abide and produce fruit (love).  He's saying that if we abide in him and he in us then love will come forth.  So the question for us to ask ourselves today is this.  "Do I love unconditionally?"  This would be our fruit.  If we do, then the vinedresser (God the Father) will not let us settle for just loving some people or some times.  He will prune us so that we can love more and more until we are perfected in His love.  But to do this, we have to abide in Jesus.

Ask Jesus to abide in you today.  Commit to loving unconditionally as Jesus has loved you.  Produce fruit, and find joy and peace in your life.

In the love of Christ,

greg