(John 15:2) “He cuts off every branch that does not produce fruit in me, and he cuts back every branch that does produce fruit, so that it might produce more fruit.”
(vs 6) “Unless a person abides in me, he is thrown away like a pruned branch and dries up. People gather such branches, throw them into a fire, and they are burned up.”
(vs 16) “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. I have appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”
Why did Jesus choose you to become His disciple and not your family members, or your neighbor, or your colleagues at work that continue in their sinful ways? Does He love you more than them? Are you more important to God than them? Or is it because you have more talents, money, are better looking, or come from an important family? We truly do not know why God chooses to open the spiritual understanding of some and not of others.
However, when He chose you, He did it with something in mind. You are an investment for Him and He expects a return with profit. If God only loves you and wants to be with you right now, He would have taken your life the moment you accepted Jesus into your heart and were guaranteed a place in heaven in his presence. You are actually more trouble alive than it is worth at times having Him constantly come to your aid because of your disobedience.
He wants us to bear fruit. We are not sure what this fruit refers to exactly, but we can bet a basic idea when we see why Christ came to earth. He wants us to bring others to the knowledge of Christ; He wants us to use the power of the Holy Spirit and destroy the works of Satan, and He wants us to love unconditionally the way He has loved us, which is also one of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
You are an investment for all these things and much much more, and if you do not produce, based on what we just read, you will be cut off. This might seem harsh, but to be honest, what do YOU do when an investment in someone or something is unfruitful regardless of how many times you have reinvested or how long you have been waiting for results?… Exactly!
Don’t push your luck or His patience, as when you die it will be too late. Therefore, make the most of today and share the gospel with someone, and show the love of Christ through your words and actions.
Fortunately, God’s mercy is renewed every morning and He still keeps us alive, which means He still sees potential in His investment.
Prayers
- Heavenly Father, You are God who founded the World by His Wisdom, God who forgives us, the Wonderworking God, God who makes all things.
- We thank You that You are the husbandman that takes care of the vineyard.
- Thank you that Jesus is the source of life for us when we are grafted in Him.
- Forgive us today for not living to the fullest of our potential. For not having used our talents, time, resources, and knowledge to reach out to others with the gospel.
- Forgive us for having wasted our time thinking about what we can get out of you, instead of how you can use us for your divine purpose.
- We ask that you prune away from our lives those things that will not allow us to grow and become more fruitful.
- We declare that we are a good investment and that we will produce much fruit in the right season, in Jesus’ name.
- We want to be a branch that bears fruit and not that simply becomes wood for the burning.
- Thank You for this wake-up call today.
- We ask in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen