He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
Are there parts of us that need to go? Beyond the initial call from Jesus, beyond the initial pruning by his word that saves us from our sins, are there parts of our lives that aren't bearing good fruit? Are there parts of our lives that are disconnected from Jesus and from his Kingdom?
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
This doesn't mean that everything we do is specifically relgious. It does mean that it all bears fruit. What sort of fruit?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (see Galatians 5:22-23).
We don't tend to discern our own actions very well. We subject ourselves to things that give us anxiety rather than peace and consternation rather than joy. We allow ourselves to be mastered by things which should at most be recreational pursuits. Or else these pursuits simply leave us empty, drained, and certainly no more able to love or to show forth the goodness of God. Not everything we do is specifically religious. But God should be able to work through absolutely everything we do and be present in every circumstance in order to make us more able to bear fruit.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
When we get good at being pruned we will be better at welcoming others into God's Kingdom. We won't subject them to our own hangups. Our preconceptions won't limit us. Instead, we'll be willing to submit our own judgment to that of the Church, guided as it is by the Holy Spirit.
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters
about this question.
How much of our own lives and practices are we willing to offer to God? If he finds anything in our hearts which is not helpful and not bearing fruit let us ask him to prune it from us. It may not seem like joy at first. But it is the only way to joy.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
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