A Journey Begins…

Morning!

Raises his cup of tea

John reminds us that if we love Jesus, we follow His commandments. And then, he brings us back to one of Jesus’ core teachings: to love one another.

Then he says this:

1 John 3:18

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

So today, I’m challenging myself! I’m taking a hard look at everything I do and asking—who is it for? How much of my daily actions truly serve others, and how much is just for me?

It’s a dangerous exercise—asking the Lord to reveal just how selfish I might be.

Proverbs 27:18

“Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; so he who waits on his master will be honored.”

That verse got me thinking: What fig tree am I tending? And even more, how can I tend to things better?

Because Jesus also said:

John 15:1-8

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit… As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing… By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

Jesus is the vine.

God the Father is the vinedresser.

And the Holy Spirit is with us in the process.

But today, what really caught my attention was the part about the branches that don’t produce fruit.

From what I can tell, there’s a difference between producing bad fruit and producing no fruit at all. Yet, both seem to end up in the same place—pruned and thrown into the fire.

So, I’m asking myself:

• What fruit am I producing?

• What effect do my fruits have on others?

• And once I’ve looked at my current fruit, how can I produce more? Better?

And when I think I have an answer, I’ll ask Jesus again.

Because Ecclesiastes also warns us to be careful with our words, especially before God:

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

“Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools… Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God… For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it… Better not to vow than to vow and not pay… For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.”