Be Fruitful

John 15
v1.I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. v2.Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away(trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
v8.When you bear(produce)much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.

Matthew 21
v18. In the early dawn the next morning, as He was coming back to the city, He was hungry. v19 And as He saw one single leafy fig tree above the roadside, He went to it but He found nothing but leaves on it [seeing that in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves]. And He said to it, Never again shall fruit grow on you! ANd the fig tree withered up at once.Ever read, see or hear a verse for many times that it becomes a cliche to you. This is one which I read or hear it preached many times as seeing ourselves as the branch and Jesus our Vine. And If we abide in Him we will bear much fruit.

Today as I was reading it, He illustrated to me the similirality in this two verses in a different way in relation to ministry.

We see in John 15 v2 that says, He cuts(trims, take away) the branch that does not bear fruit. .In the Amplified version it not only says the ones that does not bear but the ones that stop bearing.
It shows that this branch has been bearing fruit but has stop!

Is also interesting to note that in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves. I never knew that before=)

We see in Jesus "vocabulary" the similarity between this two is that He takes away the branch that does not bear fruit.
Have you ever wonder or ask yourself this question, Why did Jesus cut it off, He could have just left it by itself...hmm.So that it becomes it's fullest?

Which are the branches that are allowed to stay. The ones that continue to bear fruit. And what happen to those that stay, He cleanses and repeatedly prunes them so that it becomes more and richer with more excellent fruit.

Here's what he showed me in relation to ministry. The ministry are the branches. You are the tree. You can be in the ministry for being just there, and you find no life in it. You just don't seem to see much fruit in it. You pray harder for the anointing and you wonder why it's still so dry. Go to the Vine. He promise to everyone who remains in Him bears much fruit. Let Him sprout a new branch in you, to the ministry that will see much fruit.

Another group would be those who are asked to moved to another ministry. Or maybe suddenly the door is close for that particular ministry. Or maybe God is asking you to move on to another ministry.
We see previously that the branches that He cuts off were not only that has no fruit but also the ones that has stop bearing. Your ministry that you were there for that season has bear it's fruit before but now you don't see it's fruit. Go in faith to the one you feel He is calling you to.

And to those who have move into a new ministry that you feel God has called you to, but at times you still doubt because you see corrections being made on you, frusfration because you do not see what God has told you...but simply hearing Him telling you to wait...

Be patient! The Lord is continually pruning you to become the excellent servant of God who manifest the glory of God!
Do not give up or doubt if you are in the ministry God has called you to when things seems hard. He sometines uses situation or people as our sandpaper to shape us.
He is setting you up to be excellent in the area He has called you.

Start or go into the ministry He has called you to. He will be the one helping you on to bear much fruits!

Grace IS with us!=D

picture showing fruit of sycamore fig tree from Otters Den

I Can Only Imagine

This is one of the most amazing songs. Everytime this song is being played, it stirs my heart to the time I had my first love with Jesus. He knows how to make each of us feel special. Let the anointing in this songs, the words of love melt away all your pains and fears...let those tears fall..let our Lover embrace you with His love...

"I Can Only Imagine" Mercy Me
by Linda Owen

I can only imagine
what it will be like
When I walk by Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face is before me
I can only imagine

MercyMe had been a rock band for eight years when its infectious ode to heaven, "I Can Only Imagine," began saturating Christian radio. After spending weeks at number one on the charts, it garnered Dove awards for both "Pop Song" and "Song of the Year," as well as a "Songwriter of the Year" accolade for lead singer Bart Millard. Almost immediately, the group's 2001 debut album, Almost There, was certified gold, and thousands of churches were using "I Can Only Imagine" in worship.

The Dallas-based band which also includes lead guitarist Mike Scheuchzer, drummer Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran, and keyboardist Jim Bryson knew their first hit was something special, but they never "imagined" it impacting people the way it has.

Millard hopes both listeners and worshipers recognize that, "The song is not about crossing our fingers and hoping that God is out there somewhere, but it's about resting easier at night knowing that there is one true, living God who is crazy in love with us so much so that he desires us to spend eternity with him."

Millard's lyrics grew out of a period of tremendous personal pain. In 1991, his father died after a long battle with cancer. When people told him that his dad would choose heaven over coming back, the 18-year-old began thinking about what his dad was experiencing in heaven. After that, he found himself repeating the phrase "I can only imagine." He began writing it on napkins, paper bags, and anything he could find. The phrase resonated in his heart and gave him the strength and hope he needed to move on.

Somehow, wondering about that awesome moment when he too would lay eyes on the Lord helped dull the pain of losing his father. This isn't a permanent separation, he told himself. One day we'll be enjoying God's presence together.

Years later, in 1999, when MercyMe was writing songs for its freshman project, Millard stumbled across that simple phrase "I can only imagine in an old notebook. About ten minutes later, the song was written.

"People say it's amazing that it was written in ten minutes, when really it had been on my heart for almost ten years," Millard says. In fact, not many days go by that he still doesn't ask himself those questions that form the chorus of his song:

Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all?

"I have faith that Christ is real," Millard adds. "Therefore, I ask him questions."

Questions for which every believer will one day receive the answers.
(play song)

The Return of the Prodigal Son

In my previous post, I touched on coming up to a higher level; To Arise to the call that God had called you to and on Daddy God.  During today's sermon, he showed me how this two comes into play in our walk with him. Something really simple and beautiful. Let's look at the story of the prodigal son. Here's a son who has squandered of all his father's inheritance now coming back to his father hoping he could hire him as one of his servants. These were the thoughts he had before he came home,
Luke 15:18(NKJV) I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
v19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
v20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
(CEV)v20 The younger son got up & started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.
What were the thoughts he had to qualify himself to become one of his father's servant? Words of confession, probably of self pity too. He looked at how bad he has been . He lowered himself/ he saw himself as a servant.
Let's look at the actual scene. His father came embracing him, hugging and kissing him.Did he manage to say all that he wanted to?
Look at verse 18 & 20. Both has the word arise in it. You can arise to an old way of self-condemnation, self-pity & a continuous cycle of confession of your sins. When you do that, you are seeing yourself as a hired servant and living the lowly life.
But when you arise knowing how much Daddy God loves you, he not only embraces you with his kisses...look at what the next verse says,
v22.But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put [it] on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on [his] feet:v23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill [it]; and let us eat, and be merry:v24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
You receive his best blessing. You were once dead in your old ways but now you're a new creation!Amen.
Arise(Stand up)my child=) It's not seeing how unqualified you are that qualifies you for his blessing but simply knowing Daddy's love for you!
Take the first step of faith to Stand Up and walk away from the circumstances that has held you back from His unfailing love, the rest belongs to Him. He will cloth you and take care of the you! He says to you,
"I love you my child, come home to me"