Quote from Forum Archives on May 24, 2001, 11:34 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

As my friend Larry Davies promised to us last week, there would
be a part two in the series about the Vine. In the first part of
the story, you may recall how Larry wrote about how things
change... and then he related it to a story of how the Vine and
the Branches changed and shaped his life.

This week, Larry continues with that theme. This time, he goes
further and explains how the Vine is the crucial element in the
production of fruit, and how a better understanding of that
principle changed his perspective --- and his life.

My personal testimony is similar, in the sense that it was a more
accurate view of the Vine and the Branches that changed my life.
For me, when I allowed the Vinedresser (Jesus Christ) to "trim my
branches", wash them off, and pick them out of the dirt, and
carefully place them on the proper support, where they could
heal, recover, and be properly nourished, my life was renewed.

I'm using the word pictures that Jesus used in John 15 to
describe my situation. There have been real struggles behind
those word pictures. I am sure you can fill in your own struggle
in that picture. The message is that there is hope, and the hope
we have does not come directly from ourselves, it comes from God.
He places hope within us, He gives us every resource we need to
persevere, and He does it all in love, a love much deeper and
purer than anything else we see around us.

So when God wants to prune our branches, wash us clean, repair
us, and make us whole, instead of complaining, perhaps it would
be wise to be patient, ask God to help us understand just enough
to be able to trust Him completely, look for His refinement, wait
patiently for it, and embrace it. I appreciate God's love, and
I want to respond to it, returning love to Him, and to those
around me. I pray that you have an equally appreciative response
to the love of God.

Brother Brian

Reply-to: "Sowing Seeds of Faith..." <sowseeds@nesbe.com>
Subject: Things Change: Vines & MOPS

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If you missed part one from last week... click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/Vines.and.Fruit.htm

Sowing Seeds of Faith

Things Change: Vines and Mops
Larry Davies

Martha, I have a marvelous opportunity for you, said my
mothers pastor. Our church has been looking to expand its
ministry to families with small children so we joined a national
organization called M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). We
want you to be an older adult mentor and speak to the group as
well as offer individual counseling to those mothers who need
it.

I thought my pastor had completely lost his mind, mother said.
I was busy with other church projects. My children were grown
up and gone. My grandchildren were near adult age. My marriage
was certainly not perfect and I wasnt that great a mother. Why
me? I didnt know what to say because I never thought of her
helping young mothers either. This strange job offer didnt make
sense.

The pastor however smiled serenely and said, Martha, your
situation is exactly what these struggling mothers need to hear.
You are perfect for this job and I believe God is calling you to
do it.

As I wrote last week When you least expect it, things change.
Whether its an unexpected job, a tragedy or a sudden illness,
events can spin out of control. Like it or not, things do
change The best question to ask is, How can we learn to deal
with the change? The answer may surprise you.

Last week, I wrote how Zig Ziglar told me his favorite Bible
verses were from John 1:1-7. 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 that 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.

The word that stood out for me was fruit. You will produce much
fruit. As an experienced salesperson, I expected to go out and
produce fruit for God but instead I failed miserably. After a
fruitless few weeks, I was alone in my office wondering if
everything God promised was a delusion.

But I was missing the point. The key word was never meant to be
fruit. Fruit is the end product. There can be no fruit without
another word. Its not fruit its the vine. I was trying to
produce fruit with a weak link to the vine. I needed to
strengthen my relationship with God and let the fruit grow
naturally. The vine provides life-sustaining nutrients. I
started listening to Bible tapes on the way to work.

The vine provides a link to the gardener. I set the alarm
clock earlier to allow time for prayer.
The vine prevents the fruit from falling to the ground. I
became more active at my local church.
Without the vine there is no fruit. I began to
listen compassionately and genuinely care.

Learning to focus on the vine gave God the opportunity to change
me. Then I began to bear fruit.

But what about my mother? She took the job and nervously stood
up to talk to her first group of MOPS mothers. She cleared her
throat and slowly began to tell her story. Im not the best
example of an ideal marriage or a good mother. At times the
tragedies I faced nearly destroyed me but I survived and learned
a valuable lesson: God seldom changes circumstances God changes
you!

God seldom changes circumstances even though we desperately
want them changed. I know many of you are suffering with
troubled children or a bad marriage or a messy divorce. Some of
you are struggling financially and most of you are praying that
God will make your circumstances better. Like you, I prayed for
relief from all the misery and pain but I was looking for the
wrong answer.

God changes you! At first, this may not sound like what you
want to hear but allowing God to change me was what got me
through. But more than that, I found hope and a love I never
knew before. I found peace in the midst of my pain. God changed
me. As I changed everything changed.

Its not the fruit its the vine. When dad died, my mother
received a precious gift. Those same women from MOPS surrounded
her, fixed meals, cleaned the house and helped her recover. Why?
Because through her loving witness as a mentor, they began
looking for the vine and found God.

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