John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
Do you realize our dissatisfaction can be the first step away from a kind of status quo living? Until we recognize we are falling short of bearing the type of fruit Jesus calls us to produce—and are disturbed by it—we run the risk of being stuck in a lifestyle that brings little glory to God.
Previously I wrote about our need to cultivate an ever-deepening dependency on the Lord through a mindset that says I can’t but He can. It’s a way of thinking that acknowledges our best efforts pale in comparison to what Christ can do in us and through us. It entails inviting the Holy Spirit to permeate our everyday circumstances and turn them into something more…something beyond the ordinary.
I can’t but He can thinking brings about lasting fruit—the kind we’ve been appointed to produce. It requires remaining in him, and is of such importance that he told his disciples it would open up the Father’s heart to their requests. Like the life-giving sap that runs through the branches of the vine, our constant connection to the Lord bears fruit that endures. It doesn’t wither or rot like the fading assessment of success and fame designated by man.
I’ve started applying this principle in the small, common areas of my life. The other day the mother of one of my students asked to meet with me. She was concerned about her daughter’s grade. Uncertain of what I might be facing, and wanting to offer more than my limited perspective, I prayed, I can’t but He can. And you know what? He did!
So I’m praying the classes I teach would go beyond my…I can. That relationships would be filled with greater meaning than my…I can….And the words I write would bring more life than my…I can. From big issues to small everyday undertakings, I’m praying, I can’t but He can….
How about you? Will you let your dissatisfaction lead you to that place of contented abandonment that results in lasting fruit?