Growing Deeper, Producing More Fruit

Good Morning Gorgeous,

It’s a brand new day. A fresh start. A new day to keep putting one foot ahead of the other. A new day to keep boldly and bravely showing up at whatever your calling looks like whether it is work, school, parenthood, ministry, or a mix of all these hats. God paints a new sunrise each morning to remind you the day is fresh and opportunity lies around every single corner. Every turn is a new chance to say yes to God. He is calling each of us deeper. Wherever you are right now in your walk with Jesus, He is calling you to experience Him in a fresh new way. He is calling you to a new level of trust, a new level of breakthrough, and a new level of intimacy. That’s the kind of God He is. He is more than any of us can fathom. His goodness and His mercy are abundant, and He is in relentless pursuit of your heart. Yet, He is gentle and patient. He will wait for you to take the next leap of faith in your walk, and then He will be right there to catch you, carry you, walk with you, run with you, cheer you on, heal you, affirm you, guide you, empower you, or equip you. He can do all of that and so much more. He also does it at the level you are at, and when you are ready to go deeper, He is ready to help you grow.

One of the ways He is described in the bible by Jesus is as a gardener. Jesus describes His Father as a gardener who will cut off the parts that don’t bear fruit and prune the parts that do, so that even more fruit can be produced in your life. He will tend to your heart and your life so that you can produce the most fruit possible.

Here are Jesus’s words from John 15:

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 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 unless you remain in me. John 15:1‭-‬4

Jesus is the vine and we are part of the vine with Jesus. Jesus is giving a beautiful picture of us being fruitful with Jesus and the Father is the master gardener who tends to the vine. Lovingly pruning it and caring for it, so that it can grow bigger, stronger, and bear even more fruit.

We have an opportunity to encourage our growth in Jesus by staying close to Him and staying attached to the vine. He says you have already received the message, now remain in me. He is saying you have chosen to follow me, now keep following me. Remain in my ways. Remain in my care. Remain in the safety of the vine. It is hard to be singled out and removed from a vine by an outsider. They are all twisty and wrapped up in eachother and it is difficult to separate one from the rest. How beautiful is it that we are like that with Jesus and other followers! All twisted up and protected by the vines.

Another opportunity we have to grow into the next level of relationship and fruitfulness with God is to be open and willing to be pruned. This one can be scary. I think it takes alot of trust in God to pray that you are willing to let Him prune your heart, character, intentions, and anything else in your life that may be hindering your next level of growth. In order to be willing to be pruned, you have to trust The One who is going to be pruning you. God is a loving God who can make the impossible now possible. He can open new doors. He can help you overcome something that has been hindering you. He can breathe new life into dry bones. He can refresh you when you are parched. He can gently remove thistles and thorns. He can smooth away rough edges. He can trim what is hurting you. All the while, He will affirm you, equip you, speak identity into you, and set you on paths that you didn’t even dare to let yourself dream of because they seemed impossible.

Wherever you are in your walk, there is more in store for you. Bravely give the Lord room to work on the areas of your life that may have become overgrown and need a pruning, and He will produce an abundant crop in your life.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Trust is what this next step takes. Trust that You have the very best for us. Trust that whatever you prune, there is something greater in serving You. That there is better up ahead. Thank You Lord for meeting each of us right where we are today and taking us forward, never back.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.