March 13, 2023
Melissa Valerio
“Fruit is good for you!” Grandma would say, when she plopped a bowl of cherries in front of me. Delicious! I loved biting into those juicy round balls of goodness and spitting the pits out on a napkin. Sometimes if she let me have my snack outside, I’d spit my pits as far as I could and then run over to see where they landed. I still love cherries to this day. And so many other fruits too! But fruit isn’t just good tasting, it’s packed with nutrients and vitamins that are good for the body.
In John 15:1-8 we read about the Vine and branches. We learn that Jesus is the True Vine and we, his followers, are the branches. As long as we remain in Him, and He remains in us, we can produce much fruit. The fruit He wants to produce in us is the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – Galatians 5:22-23), which is the transformation of our hearts and minds into the heart and mind of Jesus. But in addition, it’s the fruit of service to God and to others. When we come into God’s purpose for our lives, we become vehicles for Him. We become His hands and His feet here on Earth, and therefore, we are the fruit that others can be nourished by. But it depends 100% on staying connected to the Vine.
Think of a grape vine. The vine grows out of the soil, produces branches, which then produce grapes. You cannot go from soil to grape unless there is a vine in between. God is the Supplier (the soil) and Jesus is the Vine. The Vine is the conduit through which nourishment, energy, and food pass through, from the Father to us. Our source is God and God alone, and Jesus is the One in between that gives us all we need to produce fruit for Him.
As long as we STAY connected to Him, we will produce much fruit. Not a little, not some, but MUCH! Here are some ways we can remain in Jesus:
Daily read His word (the bible)
Daily have conversations with Him (pray)
Daily think about Him and look for evidence of Him everywhere
Daily thank Him for giving you everything you need for that day
Abide in Him, and He will abide in us. Then we will be the bowl full of cherries that others can be nourished by.
Prayer: Dear Lord God, You are the source of everything we need. We can do nothing apart from You. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our mediator. We know that in order to produce anything, we need to stay connected to Him. Please strengthen our hearts to stay close to Him. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
Action: Make some fruit salsa! While you’re preparing it and eating it, consciously think about how beneficial each fruit is. Each fruit is sweet to taste, unique from the other fruits, and has it’s own health benefits that nourish the body. Remember that by living life with Jesus, we can be like those fruits to others.
Fresh Fruit Salsa
2 apples, cored, peeled, and diced
2 kiwi, peeled and diced
1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
½ cup orange juice
zest of one orange
2 Tbs. brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs. apple jelly
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
sugar and cinnamon to taste
Combine apples, kiwi, strawberries, orange juice, zest, brown sugar, and apple jelly in a mixing bowl; cover and refrigerate. Cut flour tortillas into wedges. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over tortillas; place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 325 deg for 6-8 minutes or until golden; remove from oven and let cool. Serve with salsa. Makes 5 cups.
image:freepik.com