Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this Tuesday,
Have you ever spent much time around big grain farms, watching the crops roll into the combines? YIELD! At harvest time it’s all about the yield, often measured in ‘bushels per acre’. Of course, it’s the same in almost every season and phase of human life, isn’t it? How do we measure the YIELD we are receiving from our investment in our marriage or our parenting or our grandparenting? Or our investment in our jobs or our hobbies?
Now here’s an important question: how do we measure the yield on our investment in our spiritual growth and our character development? Did you know Jesus talked about that in the vineyard?
Jesus was talking with His disciples about that on Thursday evening of Passover weekend as He challenged these men to look closely at their lives… past, present and future. I think they may have been standing by some grapevines when Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing…This is to My Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” (John 15:5-8) Oh my!
Do you see that Jesus EXPECTS those people He has redeemed to live in a close relationship with Him? And Jesus expects that when we remain in that close connection with Jesus, like a healthy vine and branch, then we will live high yield, fruitful lives! But of course, the big question is this: what is a spiritually ‘high yield’ life, bearing what type of FRUIT that is important to God?
Years later the apostle Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to write this answer to that question: “The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal.5:22) In his letter to the Ephesian Christians Paul wrote: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace… Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen… Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger… forgive one another just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph. 4:1-3,29-32)
Oh my! Those are very specific, measurable, practical aspects of life that should not be difficult to evaluate, in ourselves and others, right? Do you see it’s both attitudes, words and actions which we DO as well as those we RESIST and abstain from!?
Holding that cluster of grapes and pointing to the vital connection point between branch and vine, Jesus had clearly made His point: “If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing…As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love.” (John 15:5,9) Do you see God’s determination to draw us EACH into a nurturing, nourishing, love drenched, fruitful relationship, that is recognizable as supernatural by those who watch us? Is that what you and I are living? With these next words Jesus seems to give us the key: “If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and I remain in His love. I have told you this so that My JOY may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10,11)
OH, my friends, do you see that this high yield, fruitful life Jesus is inviting us to live, is rooted in OBEDIENCE to His truth teachings and the leading of the Holy Spirit? It is experienced in union with Jesus and should be a JOY filled life, not a rigid, legalistic, self-demeaning, arduous life!?
That joy, of course, comes from the vibrancy, the enthusiasm, the purity of the Holy Spirit who is alive within us as the Holy Spirit continually nourishes and refines us to be all God has designed us each to be! Pause. Is that theological ‘jibber jabber’ or is that what Jesus is inviting to be our authentic experience with Him? Have you tasted it, experienced that type of living?
One last thing today from this vineyard conversation with Jesus: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know His master’s business. Instead, I call you friends, for everything I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you and have appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last…” (John 15:15,16) What changes in your mind and heart when you shift from thinking of Jesus as your Savior and King to Jesus being your Friend? In fact, the very best friend you will ever have.
Jesus said to His disciples that evening: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for their friend.” (John 15:13) Years later John wrote this about the extreme love God poured out upon you and me: “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9,10)
My heart and my mind cannot fully comprehend that magnitude of that love, but I am powerfully, profoundly motivated to respond to such love by grasping tightly to the hand of Jesus, and I want my vine-branches union with Jesus to be so vibrant, so nourishing, so fruit bearing, so joyful, that everything else in my life now pales in comparison and importance. What about you, my friends?
As always some very powerful ‘lessons learned’ notes are at the link below as well as a great worship song, both intended to help you keep nurturing your relationship with Jesus, and I’ll be here ready for you tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: John 15:8-16.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.