Guest Post: Bearing Fruit by Staci Stallings

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 it, that it may bear more fruit. –John 15: 1-2

Every so often a misinterpretation corrected sends shock waves through my life. Thus it was with this Bible verse.  I had always defined “bear” as meaning to produce.  In other words, “Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit, He takes away…”  Then I began reading about how God doesn’t expect us to do things for Him, no, He wants to do things through us if we allow Christ and the Holy Spirit to take over our lives to such a degree that it is Them doing the doing and not us.

Okay, but there was still this verse.  Clearly it says if I am in Him, I will or should produce fruit.  Right?  Well, maybe.

I give you this new insight to ponder, not so that you can accept it outright, but so that you can try it on in your life and see if it fits.

 There is a second definition of “bear” I had never considered. It is actually the first definition of the word.  Bear means “to carry or to hold.”

Does that make any difference in how you read this verse?  “Every branch in Me that does not hold fruit, He takes away…”  To me, holding is much different than producing.  Holding is passive.  Someone else has done all the hard work to produce it, all I have to do is be strong enough in Christ to hold the fruit He’s producing in my life!

You know, looking back, I wonder how much fruit I didn’t “hold” because I was so busy trying to “produce” fruit on my own.  I wasn’t focused on what God was doing in my life, I was focused on what I was doing for Him.  Trust me on this, the difference between the two in theory and in practice are huge!

 The funny thing is, since I’ve stopped trying to produce fruit for Him, fruit in abundance of abundance has come into my life.  In my books, in my kids, in my marriage, in our finances.  Things I used to work so hard to accomplish (which never seemed to work out) are suddenly heaped upon me in blessing after blessing. I am convinced it’s because I stopped trying to produce and started being content just to hold that this change has come about.

So, as I said before, consider this simple yet profound modification in the way you define “bear.”  It may well change your entire life!

Copyright Staci Stallings, 2006

Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. She is a #1 Best Selling Christian author and the founder of both Grace & Faith Author Connection and CrossReads--a site where Christian readers and authors can connect.

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Guest Post: I Was... (The Story of Amos)

In the Old Testament, there is the story of a prophet sent to warn the Israelites of God's anger about what they were doing.  The prophet's name was Amos, and his story is contained in the Biblical book by that name.  One part of this story struck me recently as I have been contemplating what it means to be a Prophet -- someone intent on sowing God Seed. 

First, read the passage in which Amos has been brought before Amaziah and is about to be cast out of the region for prophesying there.

                Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet,
                nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
                I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
                The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
                Go, prophesy to my people Israel." 

                                                --Amos 7:14-15

What I love about this passage is that God didn't call the high priest or the people in the Temple.  Instead, he called a local businessman to proclaim His intentions.

I so remember a wonderful friend of mine shortly after I got immersed in God stuff.  Now we had been going to church since we were babies, but somehow we got taught that "God stuff" was for those who knew what they were reading.  It was "over our heads."  To be fair, a lot of the God stuff was really under our feet and in our hearts--it was the way we lived and treated others.  But reading the Bible? Understanding the Bible?   

That was for someone much more qualified than we were.

So she called one day when we were in our 20's and she said, "What're you doing?" To which I replied honestly, "Reading the Bible, and this part is fascinating."  She got very quiet and literally said, "Oh, we're not supposed to read the Bible like that. Don't you think we need someone else to explain it?"

Thankfully I didn't laugh out loud at her though I probably came very close, and in the ensuing many years, we have laughed together about that conversation many, many times.  Yet it still always kind of bothers me that we sometimes get the message that "God stuff"--understanding and wisdom--is for someone much more learned than we are.

That's why I love this passage.  In effect, Amos is saying, "Look, dude.  This isn't about me.  I didn't pick this calling on my heart, God put it there. I'm just following what He told me to do.  I was a shepherd and a tree mender.  Trust me, this whole prophet thing is way outside of what I ever thought I would be doing too.  But God called me, and here I am."

I feel like Amos a lot actually.  Who am I to be seeing insights in the Bible or in what others say?  Who am I to understand things that don't have solid, concrete, real-world, everybody-can-see-it qualities?

I don't know.  All I know is, like Amos, I was a simple housewife.  I was a high school teacher. I was just someone off the street, and then God called me and here I am.

If you've ever felt that way, know that you're not alone!  God doesn't call the qualified.  He qualifies the called, and just like Amos and me, you may well find yourself going, "Look, this isn't about me. It's about God.  He called me, and here I am."

And in all honesty, it's not such a bad place to be once you get used to saying, "I was..."

Copyright Staci Stallings, 2012

Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. She is a #1 Best Selling Christian author and the founder of both Grace & Faith Author Connection and CrossReads--a site where Christian readers and authors can connect.

For Two Days ONLY Buy Staci's #1 Best Selling ebook Deep in the Heart for only 99 Cents!   Plus, check out dozens of other great Free and bargain Christian titles at the CrossReads March Madness Sale!   Click here to see all the titles available Including Deep in the Heart and Read Me Dead by Emerald Barnes, the author of this blog. :)