Fruitfulness

Jesus was a realist. He knew that we need a certain discipline, if we are to grow in the spiritual life, but he doesn’t overemphasize that point. How barren life can be, if lived away from a vital connection with God’s Spirit.

We all have a deep-down desire to be fruitful, to experience vitality, and harmony, and life. And we are encouraged to pray, to ask God for what we want. We pray because we know how important it is to have God be a conscious part of our everyday life.

What Jesus wants for us is simply to remain in him, to make our home in him, and let him produce the fruits of God’s kingdom in us.

How do we do that? How do we make our home in him? It’s actually pretty easy. I think sometimes we make the spiritual life more difficult and complicated than it has to be. God simply wants us to show up, to open our hearts to him, to desire to be connected to Christ, and go from there.

“I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)