S. John 15:16 "You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name."
O. Jesus has called His followers to produce (bear) fruit that lasts. Our fruit (the results, gain, profitability) should last or remain. There should be evidence of our work for the Lord and it should be the type that endures.
To produce even more fruit, requires some pruning on our part (I'm sure there are times when God does some pruning of his own). In the natural world, when we prune trees, plants and shrubs, they get healthier and have a quality of growth and even more production.
There's another NT word that I think goes with this, though not mentioned in this passage. It is the Greek word "oikonomia" of which we get our word "Economy." It literally means household management or stewardship. It is vitally important that we manage well our lives - both spiritual and physical. If we're going to bear fruit that lasts, we need to have spiritual and physical health.
We take care of our bodies through balanced nutrition and exercise. We manage/steward our spiritual lives when we work on the disciplines of prayer, reading God's word, writing down our thoughts, sharing God's word with others and worship. Balanced effort in these areas bring about spiritual health and vitality that greatly assists the production of fruit that lasts.
A. I desire to be used by God greatly and that as a result of my work for Him, there will be a lasting evidence (fruitfulness) that endures long after I'm no longer on the scene.
P. Thank you Father for this Word today. I pray that you would grant me wisdom, strength, and purity to produce fruit (and a lot of it) that will last. I ask this in Jesus name!
