Remain on the Vine

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 122 ~~~

~~~ John 15:1-8 ~~~

I am the vine, you are the branches.

Cultivating a grape vine takes patience.

The vine must be planted when the roots

 are bare in early Spring.

It is helpful if you soak them in water

 a couple hours prior to planting.

You must construct a trellis support for the vines.

Grape vines thrive in full sun.

The spacing between each plant is between 6 and 16 feet.

Jesus has already done the prep work for us.

Now we must use the richness of him to flourish.

He is firmly planted in the Father's love.

He is all the support our branch of the vine needs.

He provides the sunlight needed for us to bud and be fruitful.

Jesus truly is our everything.

He has already pruned away the dead branches.

By this is my Father glorified,

that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

Jesus provides all that we need to prosper 

and bear much fruit.

Bearing fruit is how we give back to God.

Bearing fruit is how we continue to glorify God.

Bearing fruit keeps us walking with the other disciples.

The teachings of Jesus are the way,

 the truth and our life.

Jesus remains in us as long as we stay 

connected to the vine.

Unlike plants we can separate ourselves from the vine.

We can avoid the support trellis right before our eyes.

We can hide ourselves from his light.

...without me you can do nothing.

You are a branch on the vine of Jesus.

Cling to the trellis for his support.

Relish in the light of his face.

There is no doubt you will bear much fruit in your life.

Your life will glorify the Lord.

Blessings come up from the roots

 out into the branches to produce fruit.

~~~Peace~~~

Chosen for His Purpose

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:22-31 ~~~ Psalm 57 ~~~ John 15:12-17 ~~~

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you...

Pause for just a minute and let those words soak into your head and heart.
YOU have been chosen...chosen by God.
There are times in our life when being chosen
becomes a new opportunity,
but there also times in our life
 when fear and doubts arise from being chosen.
We fear that we cannot accomplish that which we have been chosen...
we begin to doubt our ability or qualifications.
Today Jesus says I have chosen you...
chosen you because I have plans to work through you.
Jesus has plans that no one other than you can bring forth.
You were chosen way before
 you even knew what it meant to be chosen,
especially chosen by God.

...and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain...

God is sending each of his chosen ones to go and bear fruit...
to go, that means you have not been chosen
 to sit on a throne with a crown on your head
 waving and sweetly smiling at everyone.

No your task is to go and get dirty.
Bearing fruit requires hard work, sometimes work
that goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
The fruit he is asking us to bear is resistant to mold and mildew.
He wants us to share his message of love and redemption.
These fruits have no shelf life they will never decay and fall away.
Their expiration date is...until the end of time.

...so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

Always in prayer and supplication present your needs to the Father.
He hears you because he has chosen you for himself.
Sometimes we may feel that the Father does not listen,
that he does not give us what we ask for,
but this is how we fool ourselves
 into believing that we are not chosen by him.

This is pure nonsense!

Just as a parent you cannot give your child
everything that he asks for, so it is with the Father...
he cannot give us everything we ask for.

Sometimes we do not ask for things that would be good for us to have.

Often we do not know what would be good for us.
The Father truly knows best.
He knows best and he chose you to bear fruit that will last forever.

Today, look up to heaven and love God for being one of his chosen ones.
Ask him to help you bear the best fruit possible for you.
Thank him for prayers answered.
As one of his chosen, you can expect
 to be blessed along the way as you go and bear fruit...his fruit.

~~~Peace~~~

Faith and Figs

~~~ 1 Peter 4:7-13 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ Mark 11: 11-26 ~~~

Today the Gospel of Mark references the 'fig tree'.

The Fig Tree is easy to grow, but susceptible to extreme weather conditions.

Jesus curses the fig tree because it is not bearing fruit.

The tree symbolizes a certain barrenness in this passage.

The fig tree does however have beautiful large green foliage.

If a fruit tree does not put forth blossoms it will not bear fruit.

If a there is no fruit then there is no propagation.

Without propagation the tree eventually dies off.

The large leaves are not sufficient for a fruit bearing tree.

The fruit is why you plant the fig tree in the first place.

Jesus comes into Jerusalem and quickly notices that things are not as he intended.

They in fact are using the temple for money changing and selling of the birds and such to be slain as sacrifice.

All of this commotion on the steps was a huge distraction and deterrent for those who came to worship in the temple. Jesus had higher expetations; his house would be a house of prayer. In spite of what Jesus was preaching Jerusalem was barren; it was not producing fruit just as the fig tree had none.

I think Jesus was looking for results and growth.

You cannot remain indifferent and be fruitful at the same time;

they are incongruent.

The fig tree must blossom in order to bear fruit.

We must do more with our faith than simply sit in a pew on Sunday's for Mass.

To live our faith and be fruitful we must bear fruit in our daily life.

The Lord's house of prayer is where you come to be watered and fertilized so that you are able to go forth to give witness and bear much fruit.

No matter how small the fruit in time it becomes mature...ripe, sweet and juicy.

In order to bud into bloom and bear fruit you must have a deep living faith;

not simply the faith of living green leaves.

The appearance of small figs

 confirms that larger ones will soon come as well.

The question is are you willing to settle for just being a beautiful green fig leaf or do you want to blossom and bear fruit?

We are all capable of bearing fruit...for we have been told....

'all things are possible with God'

Chosen to Bear Fruit

~~~ Acts 15: 22-31 ~~~ Psalm 57 ~~~ John 15:12-17 ~~~

"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you

We tend to think that it is best if we are in control of all aspects of our lives. Some people even struggle with letting others help them. Some think only they can do things 'the right' way. Today God is saying, 'you cannot go around boasting about your accomplishments, because it is all done through me.'

Have you ever gone to chose a pet? Maybe you go the the local pet store or maybe you prefer a rescued dog from the local shelter.  No matter where you go the preocess is the same. You go by all of the cages looking for the perfect pet...the pet that will love you and respond to you. When at last you find that perfect pet; it is the one with the wagging tail, the bright eyes wth a playful nature.

You chose the one that in effect chooses you.

You might say it is mutual affection from the beginning.

Now imagine if you will how much more profound is the choosing when God is doing the choosing. The thought of being chosen by God should fill your heart to overflowing with his abundant love.

God has chosen each of us, called us each by name. The sad reality is that some do not respond even after God has chosen them for his own. God on the other hand does not require us to respond before he will love us. We are his creation, we belong to him. It is right for us to return our affection through praise and worship.

Along with being chosen by God comes our responsibility.

and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,

With this gift of being chosen comes the sending forth. God does not want us to sit at home and relish in how special we are for being chosen. No. He wants us to go out and bear fruit. Do something with this gift of love.

Go out and make a difference in someone's life even if for just a moment or possibly for their lifetime. It is not always apparent when we are able to bear fruit by our actions, words, or prayers. Perhaps when we get to heaven we will have the blessing to see the good we brought forth with our lives tha we never knew. The flip side of that may also be true...in case you were wondering.

so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you."

Because you were chosen you can freely go to the Father ask for what you need. Asking and at the same time accepting that God knows what is best for us. God knows what we need to help us grow in holiness.  

When you are chosen you need not be anxious about approaching the Father.

He will only look upon you as his beloved chosen one.

For if your new pet chews up your favorite shoes; you will still look into his bright eyes and forgive his puppy playfulness.

Of course you will scold him, but with love.

We are not God's little puppies so imagine how much more loves us...

his chosen sons and daughters.