John 15: 8-10 NLT When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
We had a super big garden when I was a kid. We were a family of six and not made of money, so growing our own food was a great cost savings measure. We had strawberries, corn, tomatoes, green beans, onions, and on and on. One of our chores was to hoe the rows in the garden to keep the weeds from over-taking the life of the plant. In the fall we would help my mom pick the produce, snap the beans, and shuck the corn. She spent those fall days in the kitchen busily canning tomatoes, making pickles, and freezing corn. I remember going down to the basement and seeing the shelves filled with colorful jars, lined up in neat rows. Although my mom did most of the work, all around there was a sense of accomplishment.
When we stay connected to the vine (Jesus) and allow God to prune our branches, we are like the garden plants, cared for and protected from the weeds that could over-take our faith journey. As God carefully prunes us and sees our fruit turn into a great harvest, He is glorified.
As we head into this year’s planting season, and we begin to care for our plants and watch them grow, remember God is not only providing the sun and rain to the plants, He is also doing the same for us.
