Bearing Fruit 3

John 15:5


Recently I was thinking about a job I had as a consultant doing corporate training. Along with the challenges of knowing the material and dealing with all the many people I encountered, one of the hardest things about the job was that I was out on my own quite a bit. I had very little connection with the training manager and other consultants in my own department.

It was difficult to face each day of work without that connection, without being constantly rooted in the support of my manager and co-workers.

Jesus addresses this issue with his disciples. What does Jesus say of himself? What are the disciples? What are we? What can we do without being rooted in Christ?

As we look at the fruit of our efforts, the many things we do to share God’s love in the world and do good things for others, we must remember where our connection lies. Jesus is the vine of faith. He is the source of our love and ability.

The disciples were the branches that sprang forth from Jesus. Their work was an off-shoot, a growth that came from the goodness of Jesus. And the same is true of us. We are simply the branch that emanates from Christ.

As we share love and compassion with other people, as we work to help the needy and care for people less fortunate than ourselves, we must remember that we should remain rooted in Christ. All that we do should be a reflection of the love that Jesus has for all humanity. Our work should be based in the caring that Christ had.

When we are able to remain rooted in the vine of Jesus then our offerings will be acceptable. If we keep ourselves connected to the love of Christ then we will be doing what is right.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you remain rooted in Christ?