With the approaching fall comes harvest. The cool crisp air of Fall rolls in and the hum of the air conditioner fades. The breeze that flows through open windows makes it clear the season is changing. Fummer; Labor Day is on the horizon. Has our season been fruitful? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We reap the fruits of our labor. Our efforts produce results, good and bad, for every action there is a consequence. Have people seen from us what they expected to see. Have we reflected the character of God we proclaim to believe? Will our harvest be abundant and good, or will it be sparse and spoiled.

They say beauty is only skin deep, to really get to know someone, you have to walk with them through the fire. Life has many challenging situations and in them the quality of our character is revealed. That character reveals the fruit we produce. Sometimes we fall short, lose focus and don’t respond in the right manner, we spoil the fruit.

With Fall comes a good time to take a step back and evaluate our perspective on things. In the grand scheme of things where do we stand? How does our contribution help others find the right way to go in life? In the heat of the moment people have been known to overreact, fly off the handle. Challenges don’t always bring out our best.

I think one of the biggest challenges for us as Christians is being consistent, our thoughts, words and actions must be consistent. We need to be who we say we are. Our words and actions must reveal who we claim to represent. They must also reveal who people think we are. They will know we are Christians by what we say and do. Jesus explained it this way as He sat with the disciples around the dinner table at the Last Supper;

John 15:1-2, 4-6; NIV; “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes a so that it will be even more fruitful.

Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

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. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Connections are so important and if we want a harvest of good fruit we need to be connected to the true vine, Jesus. The Scripture reveals He is the source of life. If we are not connected to Him and stay connected to Him we cannot bear fruit, we will be cut off and thrown in the fire, Deadwood.

The Scripture also says even if we remain connected to the true vine we will be pruned to produce more fruit. Have you ever seen a vineyard in the springtime, they cut back the vine until you wonder if it will live. Come back in the fall and there is abundant fruit.

There is so much work that has to be done in the beginning to assure a good harvest. The teaching to the disciples is to stay connected to God through Jesus. In the coming days they would face challenges, situations that may temp them to deny Christ and run the other way. He was encouraging them to stay connected, because apart from Jesus we can do nothing.

What does that mean to us? We need to focus on learning the best way to live, the best habits to develop, the best people to listen to and the best advice to follow. This Scripture explains if any of those efforts are not connected to God they will fail.

First, we need a source for that information. God provides it in His Word. Then we need a connection to that source. Jesus provides it with His sacrifice on the cross. Third, we need someone to guide us. The Holy Spirit will come and dwell in our hearts when we accept the forgiveness that Christ made available through His death and resurrection.

I encourage you to establish that connection. Call on the name of Jesus, ask Him to forgive you and ask Him to lead you. He will honor that request and come to reside in your heart. He will begin the pruning process to make us more fruitful.

John 10:10; NIV; The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

That pruning process, making adjustments, can be difficult, but it is necessary. There are many things in life that are not beneficial to us. Activities that do not contribute to our life but subtract from it. We think we know what is beneficial for us, but the truth is, we don’t.

Adjusting is a part of life, the part we need to get right. Jesus came with the purpose of restoring our relationship with God, connecting us to the vine. It cost him his life. He didn’t consider that a price too heavy to pay and paid it.  Accept the gift He offers, establish that relationship.

If we want an abundant harvest, a full life, we need to be connected to the true vine and allow the adjustments necessary to conform us to His image. Having the right connection makes all the difference.

Blessings,

Pastor Don