Hi! Welcome. I’m so glad you can join me on my porch! Grab something refreshing to drink, and let’s chat for a while. Here in Central Florida, as the weather becomes less muggy, we love spending time together outdoors, enjoying the breeze, the sunset, and each other’s company.

How about gardening and God’s Word? Do you have a garden? I do. This was my first year gardening in the Sunshine State, and I learned that green bean and tomato plants do not love the high heat and humidity. My plants grew like crazy! But beans and tomatoes for our dinner table? Not!

 Since I’d been sick, I couldn’t tend them as often as needed, so they shot up with tons of branches and leaves. However, since I couldn’t prune them early on, the plants grew out of control and barely produced anything. Some became diseased, so I had to pull them and throw them away when they didn’t respond to treatment. The few tomatoes we got were small and fell off the vine before they ripened. I got one bean. One. When I hacked off branches to make them more manageable, they began to produce tomatoes, but because I pruned them late, they still weren’t that great. Forget the beans! Without proper pruning, they didn’t make the good fruit I wanted. I got tons of peppers, even with little tending.

So what do gardening and God’s Word do with each other? In John 15:1-10, Jesus shares He is the true vine and God is the gardener. We are the branches. As God prunes away fruitless branches, His plan is for the vine to yield a greater harvest. Pruning doesn’t feel good to plants, but by taking away what sucks the life out of the plant, it can focus the energy better on bearing fruit.

Some people, lone branches, think they will be fine alone. Yet they eventually wither and die spiritually. Jesus invites us to remain in Him, that is, to abide, meaning to make our home with Him. Together with Jesus, we will bear much fruit. But know that we can’t produce fruit on our own; we can do nothing. Eventually, God will remove us. What this means is that He will protect the vine and branches connected to it by removing those who suck the life out of the rest.

How do we abide in, make our home with, Jesus? Through faithful prayer, reading, living out God’s Word, and sharing it with others. When people come to Jesus, they are grafted into the vine. The church is where we are nurtured in the Vine, Jesus. Too many people leave the church because church people have hurt them or have become disappointed that God doesn’t give them what they want.

“I can worship God anywhere,” they say. Although true, we can and should, God reminds us in Hebrews 10:22-25, that we need each other. We grow closer to God through Christian community by corporate worship, communal prayer, and mutual support. We encourage each other in our dark world. The church is a haven, a refuge, for us. As the last days approach, we need each other and our Savior more and more.

You are in good company if you’ve struggled with Christians not acting Christlike. I learned in such circumstances that God isn’t like people. It might mean finding a church that fits you, is immersed in God’s Word, and shows genuine love. It also means slowly letting our guard down enough to discover who is safe and who is not. You can’t hug anyone ready to punch their lights out! The Holy Spirit helps us discern people’s motives and a church’s health. Then it means finding where we fit in to thrive in that nurturing environment.

What’s stopping you from growing and thriving in your faith? Write down all the things that you struggle with in church, prayer, Bible study, and anything else that holds you back from producing the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). Next, write down what you need to grow and thrive. Set these before the Lord and pray that God will lead you where you need to be. Accept His pruning; it is meant for your good and the good of those around you.

Prayer:

Lord, I struggle staying connected to You. Sometimes, it’s all I can do to get into church, let alone thrive in it. Please, show me where I belong, where I can grow and thrive in You. Help me to let go of pain, resentment, and grudges against Your people who have hurt me. Prune me to help me reflect You in this dark world. I want to be more like You. Thank You so much! In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

I’m so glad you came! Thank you so much for stopping by. Don’t be a stranger! If you want to chat more about this passage or your faith, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. Blessings to you! Come again soon.