This week, I found myself in the horse pasture, gathering apples. Our horses are blessed to have a couple of apple trees and one peach tree in their little pasture, and we are blessed that they don't eat them all.
Apple picking was not high on my teenage children's list this beautiful September day. Wishing I had them as toddlers by my side and remembering days when they enjoyed picking apples, I settled for my dog Shadow as she trotted happily at my side, tail wagging. Lovey, the cat, meandered close by. As the apples fell into my basket, the horses drew near, delighted by the fruit. It struck me that the apple tree does not calculate how much fruit to produce, nor whom it will feed. It simply abides where it has been planted, and in due season, the fruit appears—fruit that becomes nourishment and joy for many.
    Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Hudson Taylor captured a related truth:
“The branch of the vine does not worry and toil and rush here to seek for sunshine and there to find rain... No, it rests in union and communion with the vine, and at the right time and in the right way is the right fruit found on it.”
The Christian life is not about frantic effort to manufacture results. Nor is it passive resignation. It is a cooperative resting—trusting Christ’s life within us, yet intentionally and prayerfully remaining close to Him in faith and obedience. As John Calvin reminds us, “All the virtues we see in believers are fruits of God’s grace, not of their own making.”
Christian Coaching Reflection
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When you think about bearing spiritual fruit, do you tend to picture what you must do for God, or what God is doing in you? Why?
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If fruit is evidence of abiding in Christ, what does your current fruit say about where you are drawing life?
- Do your emotions, as you serve God and others, clue you in to where you are drawing life and enablement?
When we walk in communion with Christ, His Spirit quietly produces fruit in us—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And just like the apples that fell into waiting hands and eager mouths, that fruit is not meant to be hoarded but shared. Our cooperation with God’s grace becomes a blessing to others, even when we least expect it.
Prayer
Lord, keep me near to You, the true Vine. Teach me the beauty of resting and cooperating with Your Spirit. May the fruit You bring forth in my life be nourishment to others and glory to You. Amen.
When I find that I'm plowing forward in something with the wrong attitude or withholding in fear and not moving forward toward something, I lament to God about it. Crying out to Him, making a humble complaint, being curious about emotions and what’s going on inside of me, asking for help, and then making a proclamation of trust to walk by His grace and truth is a way we can abide, hold onto the Lord in dependence on Him throughout the day. Through this abiding, I am often corrected and can see the realities of doing things by my own strength and purposes instead of by His grace.
If you’d like a one-page free printable to remind you of a Biblical way to process lamenting to God, click on the button below:
Linking up this week with:
Amy, this is such a great analogy and enjoyed all your animal photos with the apples. 🙂 This is so powerful, "The Christian life is not about frantic effort to manufacture results. Nor is it passive resignation. It is a cooperative resting—trusting Christ’s life within us, yet intentionally and prayerfully remaining close to Him in faith and obedience."
Thanks, Karen! God always points me to truth through nature!
You are so right, Amy. "The Christian life is not about frantic effort to manufacture results." Thank you for that insightful reminder, and for the careful explanation of what we're to do instead. I'm copying that Hudson Taylor quote into my journal!
Yes, that's a good quote! Thanks for visiting, Nancy!
Hoi Amy,
What a beautiful reflection—thank you for sharing these words. 🍎 The image of the apple tree simply abiding where it’s planted really touched me. It’s such a gentle reminder that our fruitfulness is God’s work in us, not our striving. May you be encouraged as you keep resting in Him, and may your words continue to bless others as they have blessed me today. Ja, really, it was so good to be on your blog. Glad I was here.
Sometimes I feel discouraged because I don’t do much that is outwardly visible, for Him—like working for the church or being active in ways others might see. But your blog brings me back to the heart of what really matters: abiding in Christ. Thank you for that gentle reminder. Your words point me to Him, and that is such a precious gift.
With love, from the Netherlands 🌷
Aritha
https://kostbaar.blogspot.com/
Hi Aritha, Thanks for the visit! I'm so glad the truths about abiding in Christ blessed you.
Thank you for sharing your sweet heart!
"The Christian life is not about frantic effort to manufacture results. Nor is it passive resignation. It is a cooperative resting—trusting Christ’s life within us.." Yes, so encouraging to read those words. May we simply abide and let Him produce the fruit, in His time and in His way. Amy, I'm so glad you shared the post!
Thanks for visiting and thanks for the link-up, Joanne!
How lovely to think about our apple trees bearing fruit with no expectation or preconceived notions about whose going to benefit from it. It's a wonder Jesus didn't mention that in his Sermon on the Mount: "Consider the apple tree, how it flourishes..."
I like that thought, Michele. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, Amy! I happened across a blog post I wrote in 2018 where you had left a comment and realized I haven't heard from you in a long time. So I clicked over to see if you are still blogging and was happy to see that you are! I hope all is well with you.
Hi Cheryl, Good to hear from you. Yes--I've taken some breaks, but I'm still around! Glad to see you are as well!
Thanks for stopping by!