“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:4-5 NIV
When I was growing up, I often focused on why did it take so long for me to be older, old enough to do things like drive a car! No matter how I fretted about the process of growing up, it took years to accomplish. There is a valuable lesson in this process, it takes time to grow good fruit in our lives. In Galatians Paul lists of the real fruit of our lives we should be seeking- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness.
The Word tells us that we cannot bear fruit by ourselves but must remain, abide in the Lord. He is the vine, our source and without him in our lives, we cannot produce the fruit of the kingdom. His be promise is very clear, remain in me and you will produce much fruit, without me none. It is this remaining in him that takes time, effort and discipline. Paul tells us we are running a race of faith, abiding in him, that is not a sprint but a marathon. If we want to see the richness of God in our lives, we must remain in him.
Spiritual grow is like physical growth in some ways- it takes time. The good news is that growth in the Lord never stops. His fruit is endless and his blessings are forever. Not only is his fruit the very best that could be imagined, it is forever. Hang on, this life with God is a marvelous journey with no end!
In Christ
RJ