November 6 - "Am I In The Vine?"

Good morning, It's cool here in Georgia and the leaves are beginning to cascade from the trees. They are so beautiful streaming in the sunlight. I pray that wherever you are this morning you are enjoying the fall season. I also love daylight savings time. :) As I am studying for the lesson tonight at church, I am reminded that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5: "22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Do you ever feel as though YOU HAVE failed to really develop in one of these areas? I certainly do. But I am convinced in our own power and "might," these will not be developed well at all. The Holy Spirit knows the inner working of our hearts, including our agenda and motives, and His plan is to help us be the BEST we can be each day. So, what is our part? John 15:5 says, "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will produce much fruit." I think our part is in the abiding. Staying connected to Jesus through daily devotion, worship and prayer means we are remaining connected to the branches and therefore abiding. The verse from John indicates that we must choose to remain. Life pulls at us from so many directions sometimes it's difficult and hard to hang on. But I want to produce much fruit. And I want to produce good fruit. I was thinking about how at this season of the year - late fall and winter - the fruit choices become less, the quality is often not as good and the cost explodes. Why? There is less light, less water, and the soil doesn't support growth. Can you see a picture to our lives sometimes? I can. However, even during the winter, I choose whatever fruit is available and stick with my routine. Sometimes I eat 2 apples if there are no other options. I eat canned or frozen fruit sometimes when desperate - I ABIDE. I want my life to produce the kind of fruit that is Holy Spirit inspired. How about you? Have a good one, PK