The gardener

We are still in the Easter season as this last week was the 5th Sunday of Easter. The scripture readings were from Acts 8:26-40 and John 15:1-8. In the passage from John we looked at God as the gardener who is actively involved and invested in our lives. As the gardener, God prunes us so we can bear fruit. How can we bear this fruit? And, what does fruit look like in our lives? 

God is invested in us because he loves us. The fruit that we are meant to bear is love, a love that is expressed through kindness and patience. We all want to be kind and patient, but we are unable to produce that fruit by our own ability. God prunes us so we have space to grow, mature, and develop the kind of character we need to produce fruit that reflects the gardener. Because God is good, he doesn’t control or manipulate us. He gives us freedom to choose to remain connected to him. 

It’s this connection to God which makes growth possible. Our connection is through abiding. We abide with God; and in doing so, the fruit just happens. Choosing to abide or stay connected to God is an exercise in maturity. Our “abiding muscles” get stronger as we focus on Jesus’ words through reading and thinking about them. Jesus offers us a different perspective about the world, a kingdom vision of reality. As we daily sit with Jesus’ words and we talk to him, the fruit called love will grow out of our lives. Instead of forcing ourselves to be a little kinder and less impatient, we will have the freedom and perhaps greater ease of loving.