“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in Me and I in them, they produce much fruit. But without Me they can do nothing.” ~ John 15:5 (NCV)
Have you ever heard a growing plant grunt and moan as it’s producing the harvest? Of course not. What they produce is the result of a good farmer, good seed, good soil, and favorable weather conditions.
Jesus has some practical advice for moms who want to cultivate spiritual fruit—in their own lives and in their children’s lives. He calls Himself the Vine and He calls God, our Father, the Gardener.
Fruit describes what God does through us. It is impossible for us to be fruitful women—dripping with the richness of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control— unless we get our nourishment, our energy, our strength, and our productivity directly from Jesus Himself (Galatians 5:22–23).
Stay close to Him. Connect. Spend time thinking about Jesus in His Word. The Father also looks at His “plants”—us—and prunes us to become more fruitful. When we’re in the middle of His sometimes painful pruning, the right question to ask is “Lord, what are You teaching me here?”
God looks at us lovingly and sees areas that are not pleasing to Him, where sin resides. His purpose is always to make us fruitful and able to feed the hungry hearts of our children. There’s a powerful reward for living constantly connected to the Father “. . . so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy” (John 15:11, NCV).
~ By Bobbie Wolgemuth. The excerpt above is found in the pages of the Mom’s Bible: God’s Wisdom for Mothers, with General Editor, Bobbie Wolgemuth. Used with permission.
