“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.”(John 15:2, NIV)
Do you ever wonder why people, places and things seem to always be moving and changing in your life and others? Could this be part of the cutting off and pruning John is speaking of?
“Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.” (Psalm 25:4, NKJV)
Do you ever feel like a tumbleweed and wondering where is the landing?
For days I have been pondering this line of thinking. I’ve seen people being in places that was never even thought possible. Some people going places that was not even on their bucket list. Things that held the imagination captive for over 50 years that dissolved like an ice cube when life happened in unexpected ways.
As I write I want to sing my way through scriptures that connect to the two scriptures mentioned here and many that connect to the stories myself and others share. The active words from God that are recorded in scripture dance in my head like raindrops on a tin roof. “Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…,” says Isaiah. Now, we are waiting for the Lord but, John, the revelator says of Jesus; “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20) As we move through our days with a song, dance, clap, shout, weep, stomp, joy and wait for the knock let us pause and enjoy the meal.
Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, We are his offspring.”
“Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.” (Psalm 105:5, ESV)
Photo CM
thedailylily.com 
I love the photo by CM. It seems like a perfect illustration and answer to your question Sara, “Do you ever wonder why people, places and things seem to always be moving and changing in your life and others? (…or at very least it helps answer the ‘things’ part.)
Whether this is a sunrise or sunset, a glorious moment has been captured on camera. But I can’t help but think when I look at it that in another 15 minutes the whole scene will change and the trees and landscape will look different as the light shifts from the sun’s moving orbit,
Then I also think that 15 years ago the trees were different…they would have been smaller and maybe more of the water could have been seen.
Just some initial thoughts from from my first couple of reads…lots more to think on.
Thanks for writing it.
Debi, I think I understand somewhat your thoughts. You weave us forward and backward. Seems as we look at some of our family members and friends that walked tall and stately about 15 years ago and now we see their bodies shrinking into near death experience. Yet, they as believers in Jesus Christ may be shrinking outwardly they are being renewed in their inwards daily. “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 NLT
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
Fellowship with one another = dining with Him! What say you?
We are reminded that Jesus is light. “Therefore do not be partakers with them; [does this statement tell us whom to dine with?] 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says,… “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:7-14
I keep walking in my mind’s eye down the tree lined path toward the light (in Chris’
photo) knowing truth is revealed in Light. If I stay on the lighted path of goodness, righteousness and truth it seems the light will never dim.
I am fascinated by the photo as I see many places I can be and the light is more shadowed then other spots. Takes me to vs 12…speak of deeds of darkness shows I might have ventured off the path of light. Seems we should be light chasers!
“Fellowship with one another = dining with Him! What say you?”
That makes sense to me, Sara. And I am thinking that if there is no change/pruning as you spoke about above, “Could this be part of the cutting off and pruning John is speaking of?”, then there is no fruit. And we would need some fruit to have something to dine on with Jesus and with one another (as I read the scripture you quoted from Ephesians 5: 7-14)
In reading my Upper Rom “Today’s Reflection” I noticed it had some value points for Light Chasers!
“THE HOLY SPIRIT draws us into a shared life by empowering us to walk in the light. We cannot walk in the light by our strength only. How often, especially within the setting of the church, do we tend to give the impression that we are more honest, more caring, more virtuous than we really are.
In theory we may be willing to see the value of being open, honest, and transparent; but we seldom find it easy to put this theory into practice. Somehow it is easier to pretend to look good than to be good, to pretend to love than to love, to appear to be holy than to be holy. Rather than living in the power of the Spirit we become imposters of the Spirit.
A quick test: When did you last honestly share a weakness, sin, or struggle with a sibling in the faith?”
– Trevor Hudson
Holy Spirit Here and Now