12/17/2022
As Christians we live to love. We love our God with all our heart, sole, mind, and strength; we love His Son Jesus, and we love our neighbors as ourselves, but in all of our opportunities to love we are to do so without requiring that we be loved first in exchange for giving our love. A Christian’s love is meant to be unconditional like the love that God modeled for us when He sent His Son to redeem us. We are to love with the humble obedient love that Jesus demonstrated during his life, death, and resurrection. If we can love others in this way then we will be judged as good, and our love will endure forevermore. Do we live our lives so that above all else we will find peace, joy, and comfort in eternal life, or do we seek to love abundantly, and to experience God’s divine love forevermore… even if it might cost us our lives?
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
1 Chronicles 16:34 ESV
As we live out our lives on earth as believers we are not meant to live for such things as peace, joy, or comfort because the are simply the fruit of the spirit, and their taste only last for as long as we are consuming them, but if we live to possess the tree of life then we will experience goodness and love, which are eternal; for both of these are who God is, and we will find that this tree will continue to provide us with its fruit for all eternity. The fruit should not be our true goal, it is only the reward we receive as we tend lovingly to the Tree before us.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
How much of our faith and believing is dependent on acquiring the fruit we desire rather than loving the Tree that we are an integral part of? As a branch of God’s tree, how much fruit will we bear? Are we seeking to drain the life force from the Tree, or do we look to produce much fruit by drawing our strength as we should from its root, and turning our leaves toward the Son? Will our love and obedience please God and Jesus by calling our neighbors to them, or will we simply seek to please ourselves as we selfishly consume the Tree’s produce like gluttons? We are saved by our faith, but we blossom and produce fruit in keeping with our repentance. Are we saved today, and if so are we producing fruit as we should?
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Matthew 3:8 ESV
Jesus spoke similarly about Himself as being the vine, and us as His branches. In His analogy God was the vinedresser, but if we did not produce fruit as we should the result was the same… we would be lopped off, separated from the vine, and eventually burned.
“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 15:2 ESV
So let’s believe, and repent, so that we will bear spiritual fruit and be lovingly pruned by God as He gives us increase. If we love, and do this, then His will is done in us, and we will dine with Him in eternity with the taste of sweet fruit in our mouths forevermore.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the faith and love you have given us, and for the ability to produce good fruit for your table by our repentance. Thank you for all of the seasons, even those in which we are pruned, and eventually harvested. Help us to see that our greatest desire should be to love you and be loved by you, not to simply taste your fruit and gorge ourselves on it. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who dresses the vine and prunes us, its branches, to bring forth new and abundant life; made evident by our fruit. Praised be your name for the smell of the vineyard as your harvest ripens, for the fruit made ready for your table, and the wine pressed and prepared for your cup. You are the root and trunk of every tree and vine that brings forth life and fruit, and your grace, like living water, is sufficient for all who will partake of it. Have mercy on us Father as you prune us gently with your love. Wash the dust of sin from us Lord with the blood of Christ, and care for us as we repent of them, and kneel before you. Judge us not by who we are, and the worldly fruit we once brought forth, but as we are in Jesus, and the spiritual fruit His vine has led us to produce… burgeoning in size and flavor as it ripens, and made ready for your table. We pray that on the day of our judgement you will find us full of love and life, with our fruit a pleasure to your palate, and that you will judge us to be perfected in Christ and worthy of a place at your eternal table.
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
John 15:8-9 ESV
Rich Forbes