I’ve been reading John 15:1-7, one of the passages that are often interpreted by prosperity preachers as skewed towards material prosperity, in that being connected to the vine makes us “fruitful”, as in productive. As in prosperous.
I read this again as part of lessons about prayer, but I had to stop and linger on verses 1 to 8. I asked myself something I hadn’t really thought to ask before–what does it mean to be “fruitful”? Additionally, why are some branches attached to the vine but aren’t fruitful? I realized that fruit-bearing is a natural function of being attached to a fruit-bearing tree or vine. The natural function is to bear fruit after its own self. A person can be connected to Christ and not act like he is a part of the vine, there’s no Christ-like temper or disposition, no desire for it even. Fruit-bearing Christians, to continue to be fruitful, have to undergo constant editing (pruning) too. One cannot claim to be a Christian and not have the evidence of love in their life.
We may evaluate a life not in an instance but as a whole journey, and understand that we may not be where we’d like to be at a certain point of our life, but a fruit-bearing Christian has the lifeblood of Christ stirring in their soul and the trajectory of this life is towards honoring Him. Many seasons may pass before we see the fruits of the tree we have connected our lives to, but God cannot be deceived. He knows when it’s time to remove unfruitful branches.
Am I a Christian that is defined by the desire to live my life with the kind of love Jesus modeled to us? Did I just write up a rulebook of do’s and dont’s and placate my troubled soul by obeying each of the rules to the letter? Do I love generously and selflessly just as Jesus had?
My Quiet Place 