A Fruitful Harvest: He produces

This series on fruitfulness has been such a joy to do.  If you haven't read the series from the beginning, I encourage you to do so.  I have loved doing it. It seems so appropriate that we come to the end of this at this time of year....harvest time!

Finally , we come to what the gardener has been planning for and working for:
 

9.  He produces
 

 

This is what it is all about.  This is what all the planning, preparing, planting, providing,

protecting, propping and pruning has been for...that the plants will bear fruit.

 

 

 

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And God, the Master Gardener, has planned, prepared, planted, provided, protected, propped and pruned so that we also might bear fruit.

John 15:8  "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."

John 15:16  "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear  fruit, and that your fruit would remain."

Romans 7:4  "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ,  so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."

Col 1:9  "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God"

So we see that it is God’s desire for us to bear fruit.

If God desires for us to bear fruit, then what does that fruit look like?

Webster says that fruit is the produce or effect of something. 

A tree or plant will produce  ( or reproduce) themselves…a product that represents the parent…an apple tree will not bring forth carrots…it will produce apples..

The fruit will have the characteristics of the parent plant.

When we are talking about spiritual fruit, we are talking about the fruit that will have the characteristics of the spirit…spiritual fruit will bear the character of God, our Father.

          Galations 5:22  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

These are all attributes of God…things that represent His nature.  As His children, we should be bearing fruit in our lives that represent His nature.

What do we need to do to have this spiritual fruit?

Look back at John 15.  Jesus said that He is the vine and we are the branches.  A branch cannot produce fruit by itself…it can’t make fruit just by trying really hard.  It has no power within itself to do anything….it has to be connected to the vine…the source of its life.

We need to have the life of Jesus within us to produce the fruit of his spirit.

The Word tells us that we are dead in our sins…we have no spiritual life within us.  We are not born with it.  We must be born spiritually…born by the spirit…we must have the life of the Holy Spirit within us.

In John chapter 3, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler, and He said to him…..

 "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." "What do You mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'

           Romans 8:10  "And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of
                                           sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 
                                          The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just
                                          as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal
                                          bodies by this same Spirit living within you."

          John 14:17  "...the Spirit of truth………. He dwells with you and will be in you."

What can keep us from bearing fruit?

When we have been born again of the spirit and there is no spiritual fruit in our lives, there is a reason.  It could be sin, discouragement, laziness, busyness, or we have been neglecting our relationship with the Lord.  

          John 15:4-5  "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it
                                      abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you
                                      are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for
                                      apart from Me you can do nothing."

In the dictionary 'abide' means to:  remain, stay, dwell, continue, live

          1John 3:24  "The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We
                                know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

 

          John 15:10  "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My
                                Father's commandments and abide in His love."

***Abiding is directly related to  obedience.  When we are in disobedience to the Holy Spirit, we cut ourselves off from communion with Him..we cut off the flow of His work in us.  He is our life source.

 

Bearing fruit is natural for a healthy branch.  it doesn’t work or strain to produce fruit.

If the branch is vitally connected to the vine and drawing its life source from the vine, it will automatically produce fruit.... The life of the vine flows into the branch and produces the fruit. 

 So there is nothing WE can do to produce fruit in our lives...

God does the work in us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit...we only abide...

We obey and stay connected to Him.

If we don’t stay connected....if we choose to not walk in obedience...the flow from the vine to the branch can be quenched.  (pinched off)

          1Thess. 5:19  "Do not quench the Spirit"    Don't pinch off the life flow.
 

You see, the fruit the Holy spirit produces in our lives is not to be kept or hoarded for ourselves.  If we are allowing the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit within us.....If we are filled with love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, humility, self control....then those things will flow through us and affect the way we relate to others around us.

If we have ‘inward’ fruit, we will have ‘outward’ fruit.

             John 7:38…Jesus said  "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his
                                      innermost being will flow rivers of living water. … this He spoke of the Spirit,
                                      whom those who believed in Him were to receive."

If we allow Him, the Spirit will overflow in our lives to others around us.  Eph. 5:18- tells us to be filled with the spirit---and it means continually being filled to overflowing.

 

 This is His desire and purpose for us....to be producing fruit that reflects His nature.

Surrender and obedience are directly related to abiding.  And to obey, we need to know what He requires of us….in His Word…to stay connected.

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~So, think about where you are right now.

~Are you a  branch that is connected to the vine, drawing your life from Him?

~Have you been born anew by the Spirit and have His Spirit living in you?

~Is your life producing fruit that represents His nature?  Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness (humility), self control?

Are you quenching the flow of the Holy Spirit..pinching off the flow of life by sin, disobedience, neglect, laziness, ignorance, not being continually washed clean by the Word?

During this time of Harvest, let's all take some time to look at our lives and allow the Lord to show us if we are truly producing the fruit He desires for us. 
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I pray that this series on A Fruitful Harvest has ministered to you as much as it has to me and that you continue to abide in Him and allow His Spirit to flow through you to produce much fruit for His glory.

                          Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!


                                                                                 

 

 

 

 

A Fruitful Harvest: He protects

5.  He protects

In previous posts, I have talked about how the gardener has taken much care to plan, prepare, plant and provide for his plants.  Now we will look at what he does to protect them.

A proper gardener is constantly looking out for anything that will harm his plants:

~disease

      ~harsh weather

            ~insects

                   ~slugs and snails

                             ~caterpillars

                                    ~rabbits, raccoons, deer

He will cover the plants when frost is expected and provide shade from scorching heat.

He will take great care to protect from diseases like black spot, powdery mildew, rust, blight.

Insects, slugs, snails and caterpillars will be constantly trying to attack, so he must continually be on the lookout and use appropriate means to defeat them.

Rabbits, raccoon and deer love the plants, also…..they love to eat them!   So the gardener must use whatever ways he can to keep them from his beloved plants.

 One definition of a garden I found said that a garden is:  “A cultivated and protected place.”  What a beautiful picture of how God lovingly cares for us!  After He has planned, and prepared, and planted us....He will provide for us and protect us and continue to do so. 

He has given us His armor to protect us from the traps, schemes, attacks and temptations of our enemy.

Eph. 6:11  “Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 

Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

       God has given us these for our protection against the attacks of the enemy of our souls.  We are girded with His truth, covered in His righteousness, grounded by His peace.  He has given us the gift of faith  as a shield against the enemy’s arrows,  the knowledge of our salvation as our hope, and the sword  of His Word, from which the enemy must flee.

     1 Samuel 2:9  "He will protect His faithful ones”

 

 

     Psalm 121:7   The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.

 

 

     John 10:28   “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them   

                              away from Me.”

     1Thess. 5:24  “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

     2Thess 3:3     “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil

                                one.”

     Rev. 3:10   "Because you have obeyed My command to persevere, I will protect you from the 

                          great time of testing that will come upon the whole world”

 He has also given us His angels as ministers to protect us:

     Psalm 91:11 & 14 “For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go….I will rescue

                                   those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name.”

     Heb. 1:14 “…angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."

Jesus prayed for us on the night before He was crucified: 

     John 17:11  ” Father, You have given Me Your name;
                             now protect them by the power of Your

                             name.”

We are the apple of His eye!

 We are His planting…His glory...His love! 

Just like plants in a garden, we cannot protect ourselves from the enemies who want to destroy us. 

Put your trust in Him....and Him alone!

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Proverbs 3:5-8 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.”

A Fruitful Harvest : He Plans

In my last post we looked at how God is the Master Gardener and how He  is intimately involved with every part of seeing us, His plants, grow, mature and produce fruit.

So now I want to talk about the steps a gardener takes in making and tending a garden.  Because a fruitful, bountiful harvest doesn’t just happen all on it’s own.

 1.  HE PLANS

In her book Time Began in a Garden, Emilie Barnes wrote:

“Long before the first piece of sod is turned, long before the seeds are ordered or the plants are purchased or the first buds begin to open, the garden takes root in the mind, the heart and the imagination of the gardener.  And even after a garden has begun, it continues to be fed from the gardener’s dreams” 

The garden all begins in the heart and the mind of the gardener.  He has a plan.

Likewise….God has a plan:

Eph. 1:4  He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,  In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Jer. 29:11  'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Psa. 33:8  The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. 

Isa. 25:1  O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

Eph. 2:10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Psa. 139 .   For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.   I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.

--Each plant has its own purpose –all are made by God and are different and unique...all fit 

    together for His purposes.

Never forget...

~He is the designer..

~He has the plan...

~His plans are always right and good and come together to    

   create a thing of beauty that brings honor to Him.

                      “The planting of the Lord that He may be glorified” Is. 61:3

A Fruitful Harvest : The Master Gardener

A while back I did a retreat about  ‘A Fruitful Harvest’.  Since this is the gardening season, I thought it would be a good time to share some of it with you.  Over the next several posts, I will be taking some excerpts from the retreat messages and sharing them with you.  I pray you will be able to relate and be blessed. 

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First, we are going to look at how God works in our lives as the Master Gardener.

God used examples of gardens, plants, trees, grass, vines, etc. in His Word to show how he relates to people as the Master Gardener.

 

Psalm 1:3  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither.

Psalm 92:12  The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psalm 103:15  As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

Isaiah 58:11   you will be like a watered garden,

 Isaiah 61:11  as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 5:7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant.

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 The Bible begins in Genesis with God creating the world, filling it with life and planting a garden for man to cultivate.

For those of you who love to garden or know someone who does, you know that a true gardener LOVES to be among his plants –

~ close to them,

     ~touching them,

      ~working with them,

                      ~tending them,  
                             ~enjoying their fragrance, their beauty and the fruits of his labors.

*A gardener nurtures his plants and cares for them lovingly.

* He is intimately involved with every part of seeing his plants

                 grow, mature and produce fruit.

*He becomes very familiar with his plants and cares for them individually. 

And sometimes He loves to sit back and just look at the garden and enjoy what he has accomplished.

In Jn 15:1 – Jesus said His Father is the vinedresser, or in some translations, gardener.  God is the Master Gardener and His heart is for US...His plants…His garden.

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Just think---

The eternal Creator of the Universe, subjected Himself to a body of a man...

limited to time and space.....and lived among us. 

The feet of God Almighty...walking barefoot on dirt roads, getting tired and sore and dirty, stepping on rocks, and thorns...sleeping on the ground where it was cold and hard.

Why did He do all this?  

 For the fruit.

 We are His harvest—the fruit of His labor… the fruit of His love.

 

Rev 4:11  "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."