Where’s the Fruit?


“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I remain in you, you will bear much fruit…” John 15:5 (NIV 2011) 
     I did something kinda funny the other day. Okay more than funny…more like air-headed! I was all jazzed up about this new watch/fitness device I bought. Couldn’t wait to try it out! I charged it up and got ready to run. I was really disappointed by the end of the run, because 2 of the 4 areas the watch was supposed to monitor couldn’t possibly be correct!!! I had been running at a pretty good pace for a pretty good while and my watch pronounced that I had only burned 19 calories and gone .13 of a mile. What?!? I decided that my new dream watch was not so cool and promptly going back to the store. That’s when a key factor occurred to my husband Mark. My watch tracked stats by following my movement on a GPS. The problem was…my first run with the watch on was on the treadmill :) Hellooooooo! Once I got past feeling like a total moron, I was really relieved. The whole episode made me think about my walk with Christ. Sometimes, when I am giving my very best to follow Christ, I experience difficulty instead of victory or breakthrough. Sometimes, I feel like giving up when passionate, consistent prayers don’t seem to be answered. Like my watch…life just isn’t telling me what I want to hear. Kinda like the first time I saw a fruit tree. I thought it looked pretty ugly in my yard. Just looked like a dead, knarly twig to me, but then summer came and I couldn’t believe the amazing flowers and fruit is produced. Clearly a lot had been going on inside that ugly tree. And to think I had almost chopped it down. A great reminder that appearances are not always what they seem. When life or the enemy discourages us, we can know our efforts to love and follow God are worth it in every way. Though appearances may deceive us at times, God‘s Holy Spirit is working down deep in the marrow of our souls to produce fruit. So don’t give up! Remain in him till your faith becomes fruit.

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