“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
John 15:4, NLT
The almost perfectly round Avocado seed sits in my kitchen window, in a glass jar supported by three toothpicks. The toothpicks help support the seed allowing half to remain out of the water with the other half submerged. Avocados are delicious, and when the fruit is all eaten, the fun has only begun. My granddaughter started this experiment several months ago. We have enjoyed watching the progress.
Avocado seeds provide an excellent opportunity for exploring the cyclical process of how they go from seed to fruit. With the convenience of the grocery store, it’s easy to lose sight of the delicate undertaking that allows for our enjoyment. After a short study on how avocados grow, it seems that while growing a beautiful plant from seed is very likely, having it produce fruit requires rootstock on which to be grafted.
I can’t help but think about how Scripture reminds us that to produce fruit, you and I need to remain in the vine. In other words, “fruit” is the positive impact we can have on the world around us if we remain in Jesus Christ, the “vine.” How do we “remain in the vine?” One way is to pray without ceasing and to read Scripture as our instruction manual for living as followers of Jesus.
One thing I think we miss in the process of being obedient sometimes is to recognize remaining in Christ and reading His Word is more than just a to-do list, or worse, a dogma by which we live. As we continue through the season of Lent, I pray we remember the greatest shower of love given to us by Jesus on the Cross. You and I are so very much loved! And, we are to pass along that same love to those around us through kindness and good deeds.
In our turbulent world today, I ask God to help us choose the higher path, His path as we live as light and salt in this broken world. AMEN.
Sherry Sharp