Lockdown Reflections… 📝
Food from my Host’s Kitchen Table 🍽️🍯🥛🍴
Take a Break with Jesus in the Lockdown 🍞☕
Day 233, 270 Days Bible Reading, Thursday, 4.3.21.

Remember in this Lockdown that Pruning is for bearing “much” fruit, not “just” fruit… John 15:2.

🍇 Pruning is painful, but it is necessary for bearing much fruit. Jesus went very quickly, from bringing forth fruit to bringing forth much fruit, John 15:2. Sometimes we will be put on a fast track to spiritual maturity. We may not understand what is happening but God knows, because He has called us to bring glory to His Name when we bear much fruit, John 15:8. If we have to remain on the Vine, then it is necessary that we go through the pruning season. It is our Father God who comes, along with His pruning hooks. He will look at the branches, and cut away the branch that does not bear fruit, which are left to wither and die. The branch that bear fruits will be pruned for long lasting, tasty, juicy fruit, John 15:16.

🍇 In John 15:7&16, we read that we can ask anything in Jesus’ Name and our Father will give it. But remember that there are conditions to be met. Firstly, we got to remain in the vine, and Jesus should remain in us, John 15:4. Secondly, the Word should remain in us, John 15:7. Thirdly, the Love of God should remain in us, John 15:9. When Jesus, the Word and Love, remain in us, God knows that we will only ask for things that are in the Vine. Our prayers will bear much fruit when we ask God to give us what is there in the Vine. We won’t be asking anything outside of God’s will.

For us to bear fruit is like going into a bank and getting to know the cashier who will give us some cash. Whereas bearing much fruit is like knowing the CEO of that Bank who will give us greater access to the benefits of the Bank. God gets glory only when we are bearing much fruit for a greater purpose. The lockdown has been a pruning season for me; painful but joyful, because with Jesus my joy is unspeakable, John 15:11.

🍇 Child of God, Remember this, Our Father is the Gardener who is responsible for the quality of grapes on the branches, that is, us, who are joined to the true Vine, which is Jesus. Our Father wants good quality grapes, and so He will take His pruning hooks and examine the branches. The fruitless branches are sucking out the nutrition that is needed for the branches that are fruitful. Those taking up unnecessary space will be chopped off. Pruning shapes the Vine from all the extra branches and the growth is controlled by the gardener, who will decide how many branches should be in a given segment of the Vine and from which position the branches should sprout. This is to get better volume in the grape juice, more sweeter and quality grapes. The reason why Jesus chose a grape vine is because it is only the grape Vine, out of all of plant life, of which the weight of the fruit is heavier than the weight of the branch. There is a disproportionate ratio in the branch and fruit weight.

🍇 Our Father, who is the creator and tends the Vine, is showing us that the Vine has a phenomenal potential for productivity, and through regular pruning, the Vine yields better and more beautiful grapes. All the branch has to do is abide forever! It is up to us whether we allow God to prune us, if we want to abide. Either way there is a cut. A cut for good or a cut for progress. Cut to wither or cut to thrive. Let this lockdown be a season to bring glory to God. Let us yield to be more productive, fruitful and useful when we come out of this Lockdown… Amen. 🙏

anniekoshy@God’s Thirstydeer🦌 Breaking the Chain with You… ⛓️