Jesus said, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.”
I am a row-crop farmer; I raise corn and soybeans. Recently as I was examining my newly emerging plants, I felt that God was talking to me, teaching me a lesson from the sprouting seed. Once a seed is placed in the warm, moist soil, the first sprout is a small root that goes further down into the soil to absorb moisture and nutrients. This action prepares the seed to send a shoot up to receive sunlight as it begins the long process of making food for further plant growth. Eventually, the plant will grow and spread over the soil.
- John 15:4 (NRSV)
Like the soybean and corn sprouts sending the roots into the soil, a Christian’s action is to delve into God’s word, the Bible, in order to grow spiritually and to produce fruit. The fruit grows when we spread the good news and lead people to Christ. We can do this by telling our story — what God has done for us. Sometimes we use words; but always we can tell our story by living so that others can see Christ in us. Just as emerging plants receive the sunlight, we want to receive what God sends our way to strengthen us and encourage us for whatever lies ahead. When we do this, God can use us to produce fruit for the kingdom’s sake.