Word for Today, Thu, 17 May 2001: The Fruit of the Vine

#1 · May 17, 2001, 11:38 am

Quote from Forum Archives on May 17, 2001, 11:38 am
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Ah! What do you think of a story that goes on and... suddenly,
in the middle of it, you have to wait? Well, this is one such
story. The story today is about bearing fruit. But like so many
other stories, we often get the wrong idea the first time, (and
maybe the second and third times, too).

My friend, Larry Davies writes about the story Jesus told about
being the true vine, and how we are called to remain in Him and
bear fruit. Take a close look at Larry's story and see if you
can guess where Part Two will be going... I have a pretty good
guess, but as is often the case, we will have to wait for...
"The Rest of the Story". No, this isn't Paul Harvey (another
thing that dates Larry and me), but it is a continuing story.

Bruce Wilkerson, the same guy that wrote about the Prayer of
Jabez, has also written a new book about remaining in the Vine.
(When my aging brain can remember the name of the book, which I
own, I will inform you of its title). Both "The Prayer of
Jabez", which Larry and I have mentioned before, and this newer
book about remaining in the vine (Jesus Christ), are small in
size but powerful in content.

Do you know anything about "remaining in the Vine"? Have you
ever heard of that expression? If not, you will certainly want
to read, and reread the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.
I encourage you now to think about what Larry has to say. I pray
that the Spirit of God will cause you to think about these
things, and that your mind will draw close to our Lord, and be
renewed.

Brother Brian

Reply-to: "Sowing Seeds of Faith..." <sowseeds@nesbe.com>
Subject: Things Change: It's not the Fruit!

If you are not receiving Sowing Seeds Ministry Prayer needs from
around the world? You should. It's a ministry where everyone
can participate. We all can pray. Click here and sign up today.
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

Sowing Seeds of Faith

Things Change: It's not the Fruit?
Larry Davies

As we get older things change have you noticed?
We still wear cool shades only theyre prescription.
I still occasionally browse in the record department but my
music is easy listening.
You may still play softball for just a few innings then youre
disabled for two weeks.
We can still party with the best of them as long as were
home by 10:00 PM.

As I get older, I seem to have lost control over lifes sudden
changes. Over the last few weeks, my father died, which is
devastating in any family. My daughter moved back home to seek a
fresh start, which is good news but requires a lot of
adjustments. My son graduated from college and began a new
career, which is great news but there are emotional adjustments.
Whew thats a lot of change.

When I was young I felt totally in control of everything. I
wanted to change the world and make it a better place. I
imagined a career path that would lead to the top. I wanted a
perfect marriage to match my perfect children. God would be so
proud. What happened? Actually, we seldom control what happens
around us. Most of us will not dramatically change the world.
Our career path is far from perfect. Marriages falter and
flounder. Children struggle and even fail. As we get older we
even lose the ability to control our bodies as we become ever
more dependent on those who care for us.

What a bummer! Why are you so depressing, Larry? Dont give up
on me yet. There is hope but first we must understand how
suddenly things can change and how easily our lives can spin out
of control.

Even the Bible changes no not the words themselves but their
meaning. For example: When I first committed myself to becoming
a serious Christian, Zig Ziglar a famous motivational speaker and
author, signed the book he wrote that changed my life
Confessions of a Happy Christian and then added John 15:1-7. I
couldnt wait to look it up in the Bible. Here is a portion of
the Scripture:

Jesus said: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch that doesnt produce fruit, and he
prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even
more Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch
cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you
cannot be fruitful apart from me Those who remain in me, and I
in them, will produce much fruit.

I loved these verses then and love them now. One word beckoned
to me as if it were my own fruit. You will produce much
fruit. I can do that. This is what I should do with my life.
Be fruitful for God. I was a professional motivator, so nobody
could bear more fruit than me. (No self-esteem problem here.) I
rushed back to work determined to bear a lot of fruit and I
failed miserably! Why?

Zig Ziglar gave me a pin to wear that displayed a fish with the
number seven. The idea is that someone would notice the fish and
ask: I know that the fish stands for Christian but what does the
seven mean? There is the opportunity to talk about my
relationship with Jesus Christ. I was prepared to say, You are
right. The fish means that I am a Christian and the seven is a
reminder that I should serve God all seven days of the week.
Wow! It sounded like a great opportunity to share my faith.

There was just one problem no one asked about the pin! I was
ready. I had a plan. I was in control. All I needed was an
opportunity. Yet, nothing happened! What was wrong? How can an
excited new Christian be ready to witness and have no one give
them a chance? After a fruitless few weeks, I was sitting alone
at my desk wondering if everything was just a delusion.

Do you see any similarities between my difficulties over the past
few weeks and my struggles as a new Christian? The answers mean
changing the way we look at the scripture reading. I was
focusing on the wrong word. For me to understand what was
happening, I needed to listen more carefully to what Jesus was
teaching. Its not the fruit that makes this verse special. The
right word is

Oops! Were out of space. Read John 15:1-7 today. Next week:
Things Change: Vines and Mops.

Sowing Seeds of Faith... Weekly devotions with ATTITUDE, humor,
great stories and a down-to-earth Bible study.

Would you like to subscribe or unsubscribe? Click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm Would you like to
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here: www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
The Rules Have Changed...Get Paid to Surf the Web!
www.alladvantage.com/home.asp?refid=BKU-690

__________________________________________________
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Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Ah! What do you think of a story that goes on and... suddenly,
in the middle of it, you have to wait? Well, this is one such
story. The story today is about bearing fruit. But like so many
other stories, we often get the wrong idea the first time, (and
maybe the second and third times, too).

My friend, Larry Davies writes about the story Jesus told about
being the true vine, and how we are called to remain in Him and
bear fruit. Take a close look at Larry's story and see if you
can guess where Part Two will be going... I have a pretty good
guess, but as is often the case, we will have to wait for...
"The Rest of the Story". No, this isn't Paul Harvey (another
thing that dates Larry and me), but it is a continuing story.

Bruce Wilkerson, the same guy that wrote about the Prayer of
Jabez, has also written a new book about remaining in the Vine.
(When my aging brain can remember the name of the book, which I
own, I will inform you of its title). Both "The Prayer of
Jabez", which Larry and I have mentioned before, and this newer
book about remaining in the vine (Jesus Christ), are small in
size but powerful in content.

Do you know anything about "remaining in the Vine"? Have you
ever heard of that expression? If not, you will certainly want
to read, and reread the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.
I encourage you now to think about what Larry has to say. I pray
that the Spirit of God will cause you to think about these
things, and that your mind will draw close to our Lord, and be
renewed.

Brother Brian

Reply-to: "Sowing Seeds of Faith..." <sowseeds@nesbe.com>
Subject: Things Change: It's not the Fruit!

If you are not receiving Sowing Seeds Ministry Prayer needs from
around the world? You should. It's a ministry where everyone
can participate. We all can pray. Click here and sign up today.
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

Sowing Seeds of Faith

Things Change: It's not the Fruit?
Larry Davies

As we get older things change have you noticed?
We still wear cool shades only theyre prescription.
I still occasionally browse in the record department but my
music is easy listening.
You may still play softball for just a few innings then youre
disabled for two weeks.
We can still party with the best of them as long as were
home by 10:00 PM.

As I get older, I seem to have lost control over lifes sudden
changes. Over the last few weeks, my father died, which is
devastating in any family. My daughter moved back home to seek a
fresh start, which is good news but requires a lot of
adjustments. My son graduated from college and began a new
career, which is great news but there are emotional adjustments.
Whew thats a lot of change.

When I was young I felt totally in control of everything. I
wanted to change the world and make it a better place. I
imagined a career path that would lead to the top. I wanted a
perfect marriage to match my perfect children. God would be so
proud. What happened? Actually, we seldom control what happens
around us. Most of us will not dramatically change the world.
Our career path is far from perfect. Marriages falter and
flounder. Children struggle and even fail. As we get older we
even lose the ability to control our bodies as we become ever
more dependent on those who care for us.

What a bummer! Why are you so depressing, Larry? Dont give up
on me yet. There is hope but first we must understand how
suddenly things can change and how easily our lives can spin out
of control.

Even the Bible changes no not the words themselves but their
meaning. For example: When I first committed myself to becoming
a serious Christian, Zig Ziglar a famous motivational speaker and
author, signed the book he wrote that changed my life
Confessions of a Happy Christian and then added John 15:1-7. I
couldnt wait to look it up in the Bible. Here is a portion of
the Scripture:

Jesus said: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch that doesnt produce fruit, and he
prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even
more Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch
cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you
cannot be fruitful apart from me Those who remain in me, and I
in them, will produce much fruit.

I loved these verses then and love them now. One word beckoned
to me as if it were my own fruit. You will produce much
fruit. I can do that. This is what I should do with my life.
Be fruitful for God. I was a professional motivator, so nobody
could bear more fruit than me. (No self-esteem problem here.) I
rushed back to work determined to bear a lot of fruit and I
failed miserably! Why?

Zig Ziglar gave me a pin to wear that displayed a fish with the
number seven. The idea is that someone would notice the fish and
ask: I know that the fish stands for Christian but what does the
seven mean? There is the opportunity to talk about my
relationship with Jesus Christ. I was prepared to say, You are
right. The fish means that I am a Christian and the seven is a
reminder that I should serve God all seven days of the week.
Wow! It sounded like a great opportunity to share my faith.

There was just one problem no one asked about the pin! I was
ready. I had a plan. I was in control. All I needed was an
opportunity. Yet, nothing happened! What was wrong? How can an
excited new Christian be ready to witness and have no one give
them a chance? After a fruitless few weeks, I was sitting alone
at my desk wondering if everything was just a delusion.

Do you see any similarities between my difficulties over the past
few weeks and my struggles as a new Christian? The answers mean
changing the way we look at the scripture reading. I was
focusing on the wrong word. For me to understand what was
happening, I needed to listen more carefully to what Jesus was
teaching. Its not the fruit that makes this verse special. The
right word is

Oops! Were out of space. Read John 15:1-7 today. Next week:
Things Change: Vines and Mops.

Sowing Seeds of Faith... Weekly devotions with ATTITUDE, humor,
great stories and a down-to-earth Bible study.

Would you like to subscribe or unsubscribe? Click here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm Would you like to
receive twice weekly prayer needs from around the world? Click
here: http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

This mailing proudly powered by Subscribe Me(TM) Professional -
Enterprise Edition http://www.subscribemepro.com

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
The Rules Have Changed...Get Paid to Surf the Web!
http://www.alladvantage.com/home.asp?refid=BKU-690

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
auctions.yahoo.com/