John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last….
I have a Christmas cactus in the back of my classroom. Most of the time, it is extraordinarily plain to look at, but at this time of year, it is breathtaking. Bright fuchsia buds are abundant. I moved the plant to a very prominent place just so I could enjoy the riotous blooms. But when I walked in yesterday morning, two of the buds lay futilely on the counter, their promise never to be fulfilled.
John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in Him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing,
I’ve been reading about being fruitful the past several days during my devotional time, and those beautiful buds, now utterly without promise, put me in mind of those passages. When we remain connected to Christ, rooted in Him, our promise, our potential, can become a reality. We can bloom—in Him, through Him, because of Him. But if we lose our anchor in Him, we become like those buds—futile, potential that can never come to fruition.
Matt 13:21 But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for the scripture You have placed in my path, for these lessons on promise, fruitfulness, and futility. Help me, daily, to root myself deeply in Your word, Your truth, Your love. Help me to bear Your fruit in my life. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 46:5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.