John 15: 2: "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." No branch that is Christ’s can be wholly fruitless. But branches that belong to Christ will bear fruit, and undergo the pruning necessary to increase. Failure to produce fruit can be caused by a failure to be obedient to God. These Old Testament discussions of the vine and its fruit, combined with Christ’s command to love in this chapter, indicate that “fruit” refers to a Christ-like life produced by the Holy Spirit, rather than to the number of people converted under a believer’s ministry. Salvation is of the Lord. You are not considered fruitless just because you are not an evangelist preaching. You are fruitless when your life does manifest the Spirit of Christ in your life. This is why God removes all things in the believer’s life that would hinder fruit-bearing, i.e., He chastises to cut away sin and hindrances that would drain spiritual life just as the farmer removes anything on the branches that keep them from bearing maximum fruit. Be thankful that He is still working on you.
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