~~~ Acts 9: 26-31 ~~~ Psalm 22 ~~~ 1John 3:18-24 ~~~ John 15: 1-8 ~~~
"...with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it (the church) grew in numbers."
The Holy Spirit has been, is, and will continue to breathe life
into the community of believers.
We too are members of this community of believers.
John's letter encourages to show our love through what we do...basically to live a life that reflects the love of God to the best of our ability. If our heart is filled with love we cannot go wrong. If our heart is filled with love
"we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask..."
If our heart is filled with love we want to keep his commandments; it is no longer a chore but rather a delight.
"...the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us."
The Gospel today is a classic, well known passage; the Vine and the Branches.
Jesus was a wonderful teacher. He knew how to take something familiar to his audience and turn it into a spiritual teaching.
Since this is a well known reading I only want to highlight one point.
"He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit."
Thinking about God as the Master Gardener; having to prune branches from my life causes some anxiety. God sees what is no longer needed in our life when we cannot.
We often find it difficult to let go of those branches that are not bearing fruit.
How long do you wait? The corpse flower does not bloom for years at a time.
It takes a tremendous amount of trust to allow God to prune away the branches that only he knows will not be able to bear fruit.
In order to bear fruit we must remain in him so that he can remain in us through the grace and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Allow the Master Gardener to gently and patiently
prepare you to be bear more fruit in your life.
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