“You have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain"
-Jesus John 15: 16
A Branch:Any part or extension of a main Body or System
Fruit: The
mature seed-bearing part of a plant; the result or product of any action
“Now, you can do this, you CAN do this; BUT-- It may not be today, five years, or even ten years from now;
somewhere along the line, you will lose heavenly fruit. ”
These words were graciously spoken to me several years ago when confronted
with a life altering decision. I was all set to go forth, when the Spirit of the Lord reminded me of a verbal commitment
I’d made before God if ever faced with anything similar to the situation. The amazing thing about it is, in the natural,
it seemed so ridiculously trivial but, in fact, it was to steer my God-given trajectory as it pertains to my time here in
this life.
The circumstance had everything to do with what could have been considered success
for me at that time. But was this more important than my commitment to, and relationship with the Lord?
Well, He simply wanted obedience on my part, and it literally became a turning point in my life.
We can rest assured, when we’re “rising,”
or “aspiring,” we verbalize or speak many things in our zeal for God, but saying them and doing them are two different
things. We will be tested.
What is Heavenly “Fruit?”
There are many opportunities that will come our way in life. We have
been taught by this world’s system to get "ours" and do All we can. We’ve also been taught
in word and in deed, that when one is famous, well known by the world, or in the company of others that are well known,
in high “coveted” positions within the corporate workplace or within the “Church,” that one is successful.
But I ask you, what does the LORD say? It may seem right, exciting, or good for and to you, but will it take you
off course?
What and who are you living for? What are you grasping at? What are you trying to
accomplish?
Jesus said in John 15:8-10, and is still saying:
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear
much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 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.”
He also says in John 15:16:
“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask
of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
When we bear much fruit, it is proof that we
are His. If we get off course or detached from the True Vine through disobedience, distractions or diversions,
even for a moment, we jeopardize bringing forth that fruit. Jesus says not one branch can bear fruit
by itself…it must remain joined to the vine.
"I am the Vine, you are the branches.
If a man remains in me and I in him,he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
We must know
that in the natural, the Sap of a vine provides food, water, and overall sustenance to the branches which is how the fruit
are produced. It is that Sap in the realm of the Spirit that is necessary for us to go forth and do anything in the Lord.
Once again, No branch can bear fruit by itself. Jesus says in John 15:6: If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast
out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. The withering
Jesus speaks of comes as a result of the lack of Sap or nourishment. Consequently, the
lack comes as a result of not keeping His commandments and abiding in His love. So to lose heavenly fruit means that
we would not produce as much as we should have, had we remained joined to the Vine - remained in His love for us, and
ours for Him, loving Him more than Anything; even in and through that decisive “one moment in time.”
Furthermore, not only are we to bring forth fruit, but that our fruit should remain. It must be eternal; to remain
forever. It will never wither! It will never rot or deteriorate! The fruit will remain fresh and sweet because of it being
a "product" of the branch that is directly attached to the True Vine. That's the "heavenly"
fruit referred to in the message given to me several years ago. So in other words, my current actions back then, would
have adversely affected the eternal outcome as it pertains to the fruit that I have been ordained to produce.
Is anything in this world worth that? I think not.
Finally
I’m reminded of the old hymn “Only What You Do For Christ Will
Last.” That title could actually say “Only What You Do For Christ Will Remain.”
1st Verse:You may build great cathedrals, large or small, you can build skyscrapers grand and tall, you may conquer all the failures of the past, but only
what you do for Christ will last.
2nd Verse: You may seek earthly power and fame, The world might be impressed
by your great name, Soon
the glories of this life will all be past, but only what you do for Christ will last.
Chorus:
Remember
only what you do for Christ will last;
Remember only what you do for Christ will last;
Only what you do for Him
will be counted at the end,
Only what you do for Christ will last. © Copyright 1963 by Raymond Rasberry
Absolutely. Only what we do in, through, and for the True Vine will
remain.
“I am
the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch
that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 1:8
Go forth and bear More Fruit; The Fruit that Will Remain.
By this we will be known as His Disciples.
