Does God Have a “To Do” List

Dear Friends,

 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 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 15:1-4 (NLT)

On first reading, John 15:1-4 can be a disturbing Scripture. What does Jesus mean when he says, “He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t bear fruit?” Does that mean that God has given each of us a “to-do” list that must be completed or “snip, snip?

Thankfully, that’s not the way it works. In the Reformation Study Bible, R.C. Sproul explains, “No branch that is in Christ can be wholly fruitless. But branches that belong to Christ will bear fruit, and undergo the pruning necessary to increase. (‘Fruit’ refers to a Christ-like life produced by the Holy Spirit.)”

grapevine

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23.

God doesn’t have a “to do” list; He has more of a “to be” list. Yes, we all need pruning, but guided by the Holy Spirit, we can learn to be more like Jesus.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Philippians 1:6

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

 

 

 

 

 

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

A Prayer to the Gardener

God is the gardener, Jesus the vine.
Lord, help your branches to grow.
Blessed and caressed by your Spirit divine,
We’ll share your love as we go.

Prune us and shape us to be more like you.
Make us more fruitful each day.
Fed by your word, we’ll continue to grow,
As we show others the way.

No one can save us, save Jesus our Lord.
He is the truth and the way.
Joined to the true vine, his branches will grow
Lord, draw us closer each day.

AMEN