Do you know what the very first commandment was in the Bible. Before there was the 10 Commandments, God gave another command. We find it in Genesis.

Genesis 1:28 (NIV84) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number . . .”

God desires for you to accomplish and acheive for the sake of his kingdom. Not only is this his desires, but he also gives us the ability.

John 15:5 (NIV84) I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit . . .”

Philippians 4:13 (NIV84) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

When it comes to bearing fruit in our lives, there are two lessons we can learn from the vine. The first lesson is a hard lesson. It is the lesson of pruning.

John 15:2 (NIV84) 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.

It is much easier to add one more thing to our life than it is to cut back. We fear that by cutting back we might be letting another person down, that we are missing out on an opportunity, or that our life will be less fulfilled. But to bear abundant fruit, pruning is a necessary endeavor. Consider what you may need to prune that is distracting you from a greater harvest.

The second lesson of the vine is remaining.

John 15:4 (NIV84) 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.

Remaining implies staying. Bearing fruit takes time. Fruit is not grown in days or weeks. It takes months to produce fruit. The branch must remain in the vine to receive its nourishment to bear its fruit. Keep watering and weeding while trusting in God to provide the sun and the rain. It may only be spring and the season of the harvest is a ways off, but that harvest will come in its time as long as you stay faithful.