101 GOD IS LOOKING FOR FRUIT. John 15:16

When Jesus Said “I chose you,” Do you ever wonder why? Can I suggest; Seeing as He knows everything, He knows each of our potential and when He made that choice, it was for a purpose. “That you might bare much fruit. And fruit that will last.” see the above Scripture. Now, when Jesus is talking about fruit, we all know, He is not talking about apples and pears, or dates and figs etc. Likewise, When He is talking about throwing a mountain into the sea, or camels going through the eyes of needles etc. We need to understand, Jesus was talking figuratively, He was using earthly or physical concepts to explain a spiritual principal. You will notice He, Jesus, laced many of such teachings with “What is impossible for man is possible for God.” After all, no normal person contemplates throwing mountains around, or trying to push camels anywhere, let alone through the eyes of needles. Or even expect fruit from a tree out of season. No, that doesn’t make sense, Nor was Jesus here to entertain us with His miracles, but to show us the way to Heaven through complete Faith and trust in God. Jesus was saying, in (Matthew 11) “There is nothing I cannot or will not do for you if you have enough faith to ask the Father for it, and more importantly believe in your heart I can and will do it for you.” In (Matthew11 24) we read “I tell you, you can pray for anything and if you believe that you have received it. It will be yours. But when you are praying, FIRST forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in Heaven will forgive your sins too.. As I see it, Jesus gave three conditions, Whole hearted Believing, Whole hearted Receiving and Whole hearted forgiving. For a committed Christian, approaching the presence of God these are always the three essential requirements of a Holy God. And He demands nothing less from His children. If we have unforgiven sin in our hearts we are unholy, therefore there’s no point in approaching God. He even turned away from His own Son when Jesus took on Himself our sins at the cross of Calvary. In many of His healings, you will have noticed that Jesus forgave the sins of the recipient prior to the miracle, Why? So they could appear sinless before God. That’s why Jesus said “FIRST forgive anyone who has sinned against you.” So, When we want to approach God for anything, we, like David in (Psalm 51:10-12) need to approach Him with a penitent and clean heart. It's not just a good practise to take a bit of time before approaching God, but an absolute necessity to examine our hearts, our minds and motivations . It’s imperative to receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and through Him, both you and the recipient can come before the throne of God. and receive what you are asking for and His miraculous blessings. When Jesus said, in (John 15:16) ’I chose you... that you might...bear fruit – fruit that will last’ He was saying spend your life in pursuit of that which will have lasting significance and eternal value!’ What does He mean by “Fruit”? The fruit of The Spirit which is found in Galatians 5:22-23) Love, Joy, Peace, Forbearance, Kindness Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. Those nine qualities or “Fruit” describe and identify the nature of a true Christian, So strive for them, and you will shine out as a real follower of Jesus Christ. Fortunately, we are not left to produce this kind of fruit by self-effort. No, Jesus said (John:15-5 ‘I am the True Vine and my father is the gardener, He cuts off every branch in me that does not bear fruit. While every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful... No branch can bear fruit by its self, it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit, unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’ You may be asking yourself,’What must I do to become more fruitful? Read (John 15:1-2 and 4-5) Here Jesus likens Himself to a grapevine. And His Father to a gardener. He spoke to people of the day with examples from their daily lives, in this case a vineyard and a grapevine. He said to the people crowding around Him ‘I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener,” If you are not bearing fruit, you need to look at which vine you are attached to, in other words, don’t claim to be a Christian and do your own thing., because pretty soon The Gardener will cut you off. You see, no one can live with Jesus and not bear fruit.” He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful “That sounds like a no-win situation, but read on; ...”No branch can bear fruit by its self; it must remain in the vine (Jesus). Neither can you bear much fruit unless you remain in me, I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you WILL bear much fruit;’ So if you want to be more fruitful, draw closer to Jesus, make Him the Lord of your life... How?.… By cultivating Deep, strong spiritual roots. (Jeremiah 17:7-8) tells us ,”Blessed are those who trust in the Lord… They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by...heat or worried by...months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.’ It will be automatic. You will be known as a lovely person and God will trust you with His children because you have the Fruit of the Spirit of God who will lead you and them closer to Jesus. This Scripture gives you the reason why you need deep spiritual roots; to make it through the rough times – of heat and drought. The more time you spend with Jesus, the closer you will get to God. So follow The Spirit and get close to Jesus. Solomon said in (Proverbs 12:3) No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.’ It’s when seasons of adversity hit your life that you discover what or who you are rooted to; either God’s strength or merely your own. When the Bible speaks of heat, it’s speaking of the pressures of life. When it speaks of drought it’s talking about seasons of crises and lack. What’s the answer? Having roots that reach deep into the water. Now what is the result? They never stop producing fruit’ Because of their roots. The Giant Redwoods of Northern California can withstand major forest fires. If you were to measure the roots of a large Oak tree you would find they stretch out for several hundred miles, that’s why they are stable in the storms. And you can be too when Christ makes His home in your heart, as you trust in Him your roots will grow down into His love and keep you strong… you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God (Ephesians 3:16-19) You must have deep spiritual roots if you are going to make it through the dry spells of life. Anyone can make it through a day or two of dry spells, but what about seasons of grief, stress, lack of finances, illness and adversity? Whatever your life is rooted to is what you will draw your strength from. (Psalm 1: 2-4) says ‘They delight in the law of the Lord, Meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff scattered by the wind.’ So pray “Lord root me deep in you.” In the parable of the Sower, Jesus said the seed fell into four different types of soil; three of which were choked by three different types of weeds, 1. Worry, you become so preoccupied with everyday cares that you take your eyes off Jesus, 2. Riches, Making Money and buying so much stuff that you don’t have time for the Lord and 3. pleasures, which can keep you from growing in spiritual maturity. Pursuing the good life, can choke out our spiritual growth. It’s fine to have a good time, but you need to keep your priorities in check If you have time to sit and Worry, Think about Money Matters or your Next Pleasure, I suggest, you make time ( about twenty minutes a day) to sit and weed your spiritual garden, quietly relaxing with Jesus and your Bible. You’ll be surprised how therapeutic that can be!! If the weeds in your garden are stopping you from bearing fruit, it’s time to stop talking about it and start taking action!! What does God want in your life? (John 15;8) tells us “More Fruit”. To achieve this we need to submit to pruning, Why? In (John 15;2) we read “He prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops” Pruning entails cutting off deadwood and cutting back live branches, any gardener will tell you, both are necessary to stimulate growth. Our Father God does the same with us. Maybe God is working on you, and you can understand the deadwood, but when He starts on some of the good things, (Live branches) You are asking God, Why are you doing this to me? I have committed my business to you and it’s going down the tubes Or, I’ve committed my health to you and I’m in hospital, or I’m tithing regularly and going bankrupt. you are wondering why. and you don’t understand. Hang in there,These things are not pleasant, but are absolutely necessary for your better growth and productivity in the Kingdom. Yes it can be perplexing, puzzling and even frustrating. No discipline is pleasant, but later it will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace. You’re being pruned for greater fruitfulness. And that is what the Father is looking for. Now, Go back to Galatians 5:22-23. make a list of the fruits as listed there and put it on your fridge, recite them out loud everyday and pretty soon you will know them off by heart, and be able to call them to mind as required. That, with a prayer for Holy Spirit assist can be part of your daily communication and medication on His Word.. Thank you for reading these thoughts on Fruitfulness. Our Heavenly Father will bless with an abundant harvest anyone who yields to His pruning. God bless Phaline.