A S P E C T S - a monthly devotional journal For subscription information on receiving Aspects every month via e-mail, or the laser-printed edition by mail, see NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION near the end of this file. Aspects is written by David S. Lampel. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #43, June 1994 (Internet Edition) B R A N C H I N G O U T ----------------------------------------------------------------- In this issue: Perspective 1 - Dead Wood Perspective 2 - Constantly Abiding Perspective 3 - Just a Little Off the Sides, Please ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."(1) __________________________ We have two pear trees. One bears much fruit; one does not. The one that bears much fruit expends most of its energy in the creation of that fruit. But the one that does not bear much fruit expends most of its energy in suckers and water sprouts--rogue branches shooting straight up from the trunk and roots that do nothing but get in the way of those branches intent on bearing fruit. These suckers block the light and oxygen from the interior of the tree, and monopolize the trunk's limited energy. Life flows up from the trunk toward the fruit-bearing branches, but is intercepted by the suckers, useless detours of wood that simply get longer and thicker but bear no fruit. So that the tree will expend its energy in worthwhile pursuits, we must periodically cut away the suckers from the interior of the tree. Removing the rogue branches opens the tree to healthier air circulation, light and warmth--and permits the limited supply of fruit-producing growth to flow directly to those branches that will bear fruit. Finally, the fruit-bearing branches are cut back to rejuvenate the tree, and encourage good growth in the proper place and the proper time. Then the pears will be healthy, will ripen properly, and will be more resistant to pests. __________________________ Bearing fruit. We're not talking about duplication here. We're not talking about reproducing oneself, as one might train up a subordinate to clear the way for promotion, or as one might bear a child to extend one's genes into tomorrow. Bearing fruit is not notching the barrel of our evangelistic weapon as we tally the souls we've had a hand in saving. What bearing fruit is, is falling back into the arms of the Son of the Father. Bearing fruit is being connected--being solidly, uncompromisingly attached to the true Vine. It is constancy. As we dwell as a branch--as an offshoot--of the Savior, we inevitably do His will and bring glory to the Father. So that we will bear good fruit, we willingly make ourselves available for regular maintenance. We permit the Father, the Master Gardener, to artfully prune us in ways that will enourage healthier and even more abundant fruit. __________________________ "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." -John 15:11 NASB ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 1: D E A D W O O D ------------- "The longer Christianity continues in any country, the more does the church get weighted and lowered in its temperature by the aggregation round about it of [nominal adherents to Christianity]. And one sometimes longs for a storm to come, of some sort or other, to blow the dead wood out of the tree, and to get rid of all this oppressive and stifling weight of sham Christians that has come round every one of our churches. 'His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor,' and every man that has any reality of Christian life in him should pray that this pruning and cutting out of the dead wood may be done, and that He would 'come as a refiner's fire and purify' His priesthood."(2) __________________________ In forty-plus years of living, I've never handled so much wood as I have in the last three years. I have cut it, dragged it, burned it, stacked it, split it, chopped it, stacked it again, and carried it to the fireplace for final disposition. In three years I've gone from "Chain saw? What's a chain saw?" to being a master lumberjack, capable of felling mighty oaks and cutting away limbs while dangling from the top of a ladder.(3) The concensus, when we purchased our home, was that it was terribly dark. The house was surrounded by trees that had been allowed to sprout and spread at will. They were thickly clustered, with low branches throwing the house and immediate lawn into heavy shade. The dwelling was dark, unkempt, and depressing. So we set to the task. Brazen oaks encroaching on the house were cut down. Trees growing too close to each other were thinned, so that the healthier ones could survive without competition. All remaining trees were trimmed from the bottom up, which raised the "ceiling" over the lawn, improved the view, and permitted air to better circulate around the house and into its windows. Much of the wood cut away was already dead. Indeed, these indigenous oaks can be ill-mannered trees, with bits and pieces dying and falling away, dropping tangled into other branches when stormy winds kick up. They require regular maintenance to keep them healthy and attractive. Dead wood must be cut away from the tree, removed entirely, dragged away and burned on the brush pile. These branches have lost all vitality, lost all ability to carry life and sprout leaves. They have become useless, dead, and encumberances to healthy growth. They do nothing but stand in the way of those living branches seeking the light. "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away . . . "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."(4) Are you bearing fruit--or are you dead wood? Are you being fruitful in the kingdom, or are you just hanging around, getting in the way of those who are? Is the lifeblood of the Spirit coursing through your veins, or has it reduced to a trickle? "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."(5) Are you bearing fruit because of your close relationship with the word of God? Are you reading and listening, digesting and understanding, then working out that understanding in your life? The specifics of what God--the master gardener with very sharp shears--will do if this is not taking place are not clear. But the process certainly sounds unpleasant: He will "take away" the unproductive branch and "throw it away"; as a result, the branch will "dry up" and be gathered together with the other unproductive branches and be "cast into the fire" to be "burned." Are you bearing fruit? Into the Word ------------- And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. - Col 1:10 Psalm 1:1-3 _______________________________ Psalm 92:12-15 _______________________________ Jer 17:7-8 _______________________________ Matthew 3:4-12 _______________________________ Matthew 21:18-19 _______________________________ Luke 3:7-17 _______________________________ Luke 13:6-9 _______________________________ John 15:1-5 _______________________________ John 15:16 _______________________________ Romans 1:13 _______________________________ Romans 7:4-6 _______________________________ 1 Cor 3:8-15 _______________________________ Col 1:9-12 _______________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- Jesus! Engrave It on My Heart Jesus! engrave it on my heart, that Thou the One thing needful art: I could from all things parted be, but never, never, Lord, from Thee! Needful is Thy most precious blood, to reconcile my soul to God; Needful is Thy indulgent care; needful Thy all prevailing prayer. Needful Thy presence, dearest Lord! true peace and comfort to afford; Needful Thy promise, to impart fresh life and vigor to my heart. Needful art Thou, my Guide! my Stay! thro' all life's dark and weary way; Nor less in death Thou'lt needful be, to bring my spirit home to Thee. Then needful still my God! my King! Thy Name eternally I'll sing: Glory and praise be ever His, the One Thing needful, Jesus is! Amen.(6) Making it Personal ------------------ Let's be clear on the imagery of John 15. Jesus = The Vine The Christian = The Branch God the Father = The Gardener The imagery used by Jesus (borrowed from John the Baptist) is rich with meaning. Life flows from Jesus, but God the Father is inevitably in control; we are the smallest, most insignificant part of the picture--yet we are, nonetheless, physically attched to the Son of God. What does it mean to you that you are, indeed, a part of God's Vine, and connected to Jesus Christ? What would it mean to you if you were not? Into the Word ------------- [1] "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." -John 15:1-6 There is no small disagreement on whether Jesus speaks here of Christians who are no longer bearing fruit, or whether He speaks of those who, because they were never real Christians in the first place, are incapable of bearing fruit, so they are then cut off and thrown away. What do you think? Does God perform periodic excision on the body of Christ, cutting away non-active members? Or are we straining the bounds of Christ's illustration? Could this be similar to what the apostle Paul called the church in Corinth to do with its member who was having relations with his step-mother? (1 Corinthians 5) Study this passage. How is the Spirit reading it to you? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 2: C O N S T A N T L Y A B I D I N G ------------- "Union with Christ is the condition of all fruitfulness. There may be plenty of activity and yet barrenness. Works are not fruit. We can bring forth a great deal 'of ourselves,' and because it is of ourselves it is nought. Fruit is possible only on condition of union with Him. He is the productive source of it all."(7) __________________________ We live in a highly mobile, transient society. People come and go, change jobs, and move far away to new cities with alarming regularity. Have you noticed how easy it is to lose touch with people who have moved away from your immediate area? It seems almost inevitable--almost a law of nature--that when we part, even with a history as intimate friends, the connection will eventually fade. Try as we might--through phone calls, letters, occasional visits--we are rarely able to sustain that earlier intimacy. "I am the true vine . . . "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me."(8) The tiniest space between branch and vine and the branch will wither and die. There must be physical contact between the two for the lifeblood to flow through the capillaries of the stem. The process of bearing fruit ceases once contact has been broken. We must dwell--comfortably, confidently, consistently--in Christ for there to be product. __________________________ And just what is this fruit we are to bear? There is no list.(9) Life in Christ is a personal relationship (as evangelicals are fond of emphasizing), and by definition a personal relationship will be slightly different from one person to the next.(10) Bearing fruit comes out of our consistent, daily walk with Christ. It is obedience--and it is the result of obedience; it is faith--and it is the result of faith; it is maturity--and it is the result of maturity. Bearing fruit is the result of a relationship with Jesus so intimate that we know His will in all things.(11) We, the branches, bear fruit because of our relationship with the vine. The converse is not equally true: we do not have a relationship with the vine because of the fruit we have born. The result (the fruit) of our faith is dependent on Jesus. Bearing fruit cannot be reduced to a universal list of dos and don'ts because it is, essentially, pleasing God,(12) and we each please God in different ways. Take worship as just one example: There are many different forms of adoration; one person may please God by raising his hands, but another would please God by falling prostrate. Both are worthy--both are called for in Scripture--but each is a personal choice based on that person's relationship with God and the worshiper's condition of heart. __________________________ "Dear brethren, suppress yourselves, and empty your lives of self, that the life of Christ may come in. A lock upon a canal, if it is empty, will have its gates pressed upon by the water in the canal and will be filled. Empty the heart and Christ will come in. "Abide in Him" by continual direction of thought, love, desire to Him; by continual and reiterated submission of the will to Him, as commanding and as appointing; by the honest reference to Him of daily life and all petty duties which otherwise distract us and draw us away from Him. Then, dwelling in Him we shall share in His life, and shall bring forth fruit to His praise."(13) Into the Word ------------- And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. -Psalms 1:3 NASB Genesis 6:9 _______________________________ Deut 5:33 _______________________________ Psalm 1:1-6 _______________________________ Psalm 86:11 _______________________________ Psalm 89:15 _______________________________ Prov 2:1-10 _______________________________ John 14:16-27 _______________________________ Romans 6:4 _______________________________ Romans 8:1-2 _______________________________ 2 Cor 5:7 _______________________________ 2 Cor 6:16 _______________________________ 2 Cor 13:14 _______________________________ Gal 4:6 _______________________________ Gal 5:16-25 _______________________________ Phil 2:1-2 _______________________________ Phil 3:15-16 _______________________________ Col 1:10 _______________________________ Col 2:6-7 _______________________________ 1 John 1:3-7 _______________________________ 1 John 2:6 _______________________________ Rev 3:20 _______________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- Nothing Between Nothing between my soul and the Saviour, Naught of this world's delusive dream; I have renounced all sinful pleasure, Jesus is mine; there's nothing between. Refrain: Nothing between my soul and the Saviour, So that His blessed face may be seen; Nothing preventing the least of His favor, Keep the way clear! Let nothing between. Nothing between, like worldly pleasure, Habits of life though harmless they seem, Must not my heart from Him e'er sever, He is my all; there's nothing between. Nothing between, like pride or station, Self or friends shall not intervene, Tho' it may cost me much tribulation, I am resolved; there's nothing between. Nothing between, e'en many hard trials, Tho' the whole world against me convene; Watching with prayer and much self-denial, I'll triumph at last, with nothing between.(14) Making it Personal ------------------ How would you describe the ways you "abide" in the true Vine? What things (or people) have a tendency to interrupt this relationship for you? Do you notice any change in the quality or quantity of fruit you bear when this separation takes place? How do things change? What can you do to keep this from happening? What can you do to ensure that you never lose contact with the vine? Into the Word ------------- Study Luke 22:14-23, John 6:53-58, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-32. What have these passages to contribute to this idea of "abiding" in Christ? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 3: J U S T A L I T T L E O F F ------------- T H E S I D E S, P L E A S E "Were you ever in a greenhouse or in a vineyard at the season of cutting back the vines? What flagitious(15) waste it would seem to an ignorant person to see scattered on the floor the bright green leaves and the incipient clusters, and to look up at the bare stem, bleeding at a hundred points from the sharp steel. Yes! But there was not a random stroke in it all, and there was nothing cut away which it was not loss to keep and gain to lose; and it was all done artistically, scientifically, for a set purpose--that the plant might bring forth more fruit."(16) __________________________ Linda has been a reluctant convert to the philosophy of pruning. For the longest time she rebelled against the principle of cutting back bushes and trees to encourage healthy growth and improved fruit. To her it was a contradiction: Why would you shorten something to encourage it to grow? Even when, after considerable cajoling and arm-twisting, she agreed to brandish the pruning shears, she would only make conservative cuts, snipping off only the very tips of bruised or ragged branches. The evidence to the contrary was incontrovertible, however--particularly down the road at the nearest apple orchard. There one could see row after row of brutally mangled trees--ancient fruit-bearers annually put through the most rigorous cutting, with no concern for eye-pleasing composition, their limbs twisted and grotesque. Yet inside the orchard's sales room one would discover crates and barrels filled with beautiful and tasty apples. To the neophyte gardener the bountiful harvest was a strange companion to the tortured hulks in the nearby orchard--but there it was, and one could not deny the cause and effect. ". . . and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."(17) There is the how and there is the why. To the inexperienced Christian, hard times are a curse, and imagined to be God's judgement against wrong--or worse, His indifference. But to the mature Christian, hard times are a blessing, for they speak of the Father's love expressed in His discipline. We have little good to say about the parent who rears a child by the method of permissiveness, while we reserve praise for the parent who demonstrates steady guidance and discipline to nurture a responsible citizen. So why would we not say the same about a loving Father who desires that His children be raised into maturity and wisdom? Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. [4] Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.(18) The why? That He will be glorified. The immature live in a small universe that extends no further than themselves, while the mature live in a universe that encompasses even the far reaches of heaven. Like their Savior, they live to serve; like their Savior they know that the Father prunes His branches out of love, and a desire for them to know and accomplish their best for Him. __________________________ "So, dear friends, let us understand the meaning of all that comes to us. The knife is sharp and the tendrils bleed, and things that seem very beautiful and very precious are unsparingly shorn away, and we are left bare, and, as it seems to ourselves, impoverished. But Oh! it is all sent that we may fling our force into the production of fruit unto God. And no stroke will be a stroke too many or too deep if it helps us to that."(19) Into the Word ------------- No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. -Hebrews 12:11 Prov 3:11-12 _______________________________ Matthew 13:1-30 _______________________________ Eph 4:11-24 _______________________________ Hebrews 12:4-13 _______________________________ James 1:2-4 _______________________________ 1 Peter 1:1-9 _______________________________ 1 Peter 4:12-19 _______________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- Higher Ground I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day; Still praying as I'm onward bound, "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground." Refrain Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith, on heaven's tableland, A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where these abound, my prayer, my aim, is higher ground. I want to live above the world, though Satan's darts at me are hurled; For faith has caught the joyful sound, the song of saints on higher ground. I want to scale the utmost height, and catch a gleam of glory bright; But still I'll pray till heaven I've found, "Lord, lead me on to higher ground."(20) Making it Personal ------------------ Have you felt the Father's pruning shears in your life? How? What has been your typical response to the Father's pruning (or cleansing(21)) in your life? Have you accepted or rebelled against it? In what ways do you "bear fruit" as a branch on the Father's vine? "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." As disciples of Jesus, we are called to not only bear fruit, but to glorify the Father in that fruit. Is the Father glorified in your fruit? Into the Word ------------- "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love." -John 15:10 What commandments of Jesus are we to keep? ======================================================================== NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Notes ----- 1 John 15:1-8 NIV. 2 Alexander Maclaren, in his Expositions of Holy Scripture (Baker, 1984), Vol 11, p6. 3 This being a Christian publication, Christian charity obliges me to give credit where credit is due. My teacher in this has been my father-in-law, Bob Nott, who has patiently instructed me on where and how to make that critical first cut, shown me how to section off a fallen tree without sectioning off my toes, and has bravely climbed to the loftiest heights when my courage has failed. 4 John 15:2a,6 NASB. 5 John 15:3 NASB. 6 Samuel Medley (1738-1799). 7 Maclaren, p7. 8 John 15:1a,4 NASB. The word translated "abide" in the NASB means, literally, to stay, to remain in a state or relation. 9 While certainly related, this "fruit" is not synonymous with the more itemized "fruit of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 10 Although the possibilities are possibly finite, since we are speaking of each believer having a relationship with the same person: the unalterable, unchanging Christ. 11 "It means the whole of the conscious nature of a man being, so to speak, saturated with Christ's words; his desires, his understanding, his affections, his will, all being steeped in these great truths which the Master spoke." (Maclaren) 12 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. -Colossians 1:10 13 Maclaren, p8f. 14 Charles A. Tindley (1851-1933). 15 Flagitious [see flagellate] shamefully wicked; vile and scandalous. 16 Maclaren, p5. 17 John 15:2b, 8 NASB. 18 James 1:2-4 NIV. 19 Maclaren, p6f. 20 Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1856-1926). 21 The word translated "prunes" in John 15:2 and "clean" in v3 are from the same Greek root: katharos, kath-ar-os'; of uncert. affin.; clean (lit. or fig.):-clean, clear, pure. Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in Aspects is Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Subscription Information ------------------------ Aspects is published monthly. 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