Stan, a good friend, and I were walking in the garden the other day.  He asked “Is that an apple tree?” and pointed to a tree that was about 600 mm (2 ft) tall.  It was jam-packed with fruit (over twenty). I told him that it was a fairly young apple tree.  He was amazed at the amount of fruit on it and asked me how it had so many apples.  Was it a special type of apple tree?

I told him that it was just an ordinary tree and I had just used the same principles that you can find in what Christ was saying in John 15:1-11.  I had cut all the dead wood off it and then all the vertical branches that would probably not ever grow any fruit.  Then as it started to fruit I pruned the branches that were producing fruit.  I have done this ever since I got the plant in a pot and today you see a good crop of fruit.  Over by the fence is a gap in the fruit trees.  Recently when I did my foundation repairs I took the opportunity to rip out a plum tree with an excavator.  After about 12 years I was still dissatisfied with it.  It produced only a few fruits each year and they were all strangely very sour.  It was also prone to pests because it was so sickly.  We took it to the dump to be burned.  I will replace it with something that will fruit better.

Stan and I talked briefly about how it is the same with us.  God the Father cuts out all the dead wood and throws it into the fire.  Every branch that produces fruit he prunes so that it can produce more fruit.  It is by our fruit that everyone knows that we are Jesus Christ’s disciples!  If we follow Christ and keep his words in our hearts and actions we are also given a wonderful promise as well.  Whatever we ask the Father for he will grant it!!  (Note that if we truly follow Christ and keep his words in us then we will only ask for things that Father would naturally approve of anyway, so sorry no surprise revenge ninja attacks tonight.)  What kind of things do you think we can ask for and He will grant us?

I suppose the apple tree did not enjoy being pruned.  If it had feelings that we could understand I suppose it would be quite painful, I know it has been the case when the Lord has cut the dead wood out of me and annually pruned me!  But it has been worth ten times the pain for me!  I also always look forward to Spring and admire the flowers.  What do you think He meant when He said that we would be pruned?...

Christ said that the fruitless branches would be cast aside and burnt.  Is that what you want?  Is that what you want for the people that you care about?

A good tree cannot help produce good fruit.  (Like Christ also talked about in Matthew 7:16-23.) That plum tree that I ripped out and burnt had sour fruit.  If we are in the good vine of Jesus Christ, eventually as it ripens in time, our fruit cannot help but look and taste like what is described in Galatians 5:22-23.  What does your fruit look and taste like?...

So what does it mean to produce “more fruit”? I would suggest that it means that we are to produce more disciples like ourselves who also have the attributes of Galatians 5:22-23. They in turn would also produce their good fruit. (Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:2)

Are you a disciple of Christ?  What kind of fruit are you bearing?  How much fruit are you bearing?...

We are told that the experienced should help the inexperienced in this.  We are told that we should sharpen each other and also prod or spur one another on with love and encouragement. (Proverbs 27:17, Hebrews 10:24, Titus 2). If you are struggling with any of this seek out the Lord in prayer for help, also seek out your mentor for help.  Feel free to contact us if you think it would also help.  We look forward to seeing your fruit ripen.  Feel free to share and celebrate your fruit with us!  We need all the encouragement we can get. 

God's Blessings from the MGAH team.