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