November 13^th, 2017

John 15:1-8

“’I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit, so they will produce even more.  You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.’”

During training I was talking to Shannon and she gave me this passage that a bunch of the RA’s were studying together, specifically they were reading John 15 in it’s entirety. This passage is all about abiding in Christ and what it means to remain in His love, and the importance consistently being in the presence of God not just to just have a feeling of closeness to God when worshiping or on missions. Although those are good times to feel a closeness to God it should not be the only time that you feel a closeness to him.

              The passage starts out by talking about how God is the pruner that will rid you of everything that isn’t producing fruit. When I read that I immediately thought to all the things that God has asked me to give up and all the things he is currently asking me to give to him. A lot of time when I read things like that and start thinking I become afraid. Having to give up things that you’ve done so long or have held onto for such a long time is challenging, it’s hard to cut things off and out of your life. Because once they are cut off you can’t put them back, they will die. The challenge I suppose it to not be afraid of the pruning process but to embrace it and accept because it is God preparing you to bear more fruit, to be more like him. For he says when you produce much fruit that is when you are his disciples. God identifies with you when you are producing fruit and becoming like him.