I have a dream that I believe is possible for women. I believe that we can all come to a place completely free of comparison and jealousy. I believe that we can live in confidence and peace in exactly who God made us. I believe we can learn to stop looking at those around us and stop being jealous of the fruit that we see in someone else’s life and learn to continuously abide in Jesus. I believe through Him, we can do this, and be so completely fulfilled by Jesus that we are free of feelings of inferiority to those around us. If we do this, we will each produce an abundance of the unique fruit God wants to produce in our lives. And I believe this dream is possible because of how far He’s brought me free from comparison, insecurity and jealousy. And I know it’s only possible through abiding in Jesus.
John 15 gives us this beautiful image of Jesus describing Himself as the vine and we are the branches. Father God is the vinedresser and prunes us so we can produce more fruit. In the literal grape vine, the pruning allows the sap to run to the healthy branches instead of the feeble or sickly branches. This illustrates how Father God prunes us of the bad and sickly branches which allows the power of Jesus to run through us, just like that sap, and it brings the potency of Jesus to the fruit being produced.
We all have a unique combination of fruit that God wants to bring forth, just like each grape cluster is unique and full, God wants us ALL to produce unique fruit that’s full in our lives! We all should be producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but God has also given each of us different giftings. We’ve also all walked through different experiences, that through abiding in Jesus in all of these experiences and circumstances, brings forth fruit to feed those around us. He has people for you that YOU need to reach with the fruit that He wants to produce in your life. But we have to heed to John 15, and recognize that without abiding in Jesus, we can do nothing.
Stages to Produce Fruit
Unlike a literal grape vine that has no choice when the vinedresser comes to prune, we have a choice if we are going to submit our hearts to God and yield to this process. He needs to prune us. It’s the first stage. It’s the hardest stage. It’s messy, and at times it’s painful. But it’s necessary. Without the pruning we have no blossoms.
Next comes the blossoms. One thing that’s interesting about the grape is the blossoms are not very memorable. They are a small white flower that requires you to get close to the branch to see. That’s exactly what the blossoming stage is like in our lives. It’s a sign to us, and those close to us, to see what’s to come! It’s an absolutely necessary stage, and it tells us that, YES, the fruit is COMING! I believe it’s important that the grape blossom isn’t what’s memorable about the grape, unlike the apple blossom or cherry blossom. Because what’s memorable about the grape is the grape!
The last stage is the fruit! God wants us to produce fruit in fullness in our lives, just like a grape cluster! Each fruit that’s produced in our lives is intended to bring someone around us closer to Jesus. It’s all intended to feed the kingdom of God! It’s not the blossom that feeds the kingdom of God, it’s the fruit that’s produced through abiding in Jesus through each stage.
Feed My Sheep
In John 21:15-17, Jesus has a memorable conversation with Peter. “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “ Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, Tend my sheep. He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
If we LOVE Jesus, we will abide in Him. If we abide in Him, we will produce the fruit needed to feed his sheep. Because it’s not just about us is it? Every sphere, every circle that you are in, every people group you’re called to, every relationship, God wants to produce fruit in your life to feed those around you. A sign of HIM!
If we LOVE Jesus, we will abide in Him. If we abide in Him, we will produce the fruit needed to feed his sheep.
Your VOICE is a pathway to fruitfulness.
Your ACTIONS are pathways to fruitfulness.
Your ATTITUDE is a pathway to fruitfulness.
They’re just words and actions aren’t they? Until you abide in Jesus and He’s in you, then they are potent words and actions that bring LIFE to those around you! You have no idea what someone is going through and the life that your words or how your actions can truly demonstrate the potency and power of Jesus through you.
Why do we compare?
So why do we walk in comparison and jealousy of those around us that are producing fruit? The answer is it is only through feelings of inadequacy that we start to compare. If we truly abide (the Greek word for Abide means remain) in Jesus and have Father God, the vinedresser, prune from our lives on a regular basis, we won’t feel inadequate. Jesus IS enough and through him we see our value and our true identity. If we don’t abide (remain) in him consistently and if we also let the lies of the enemy in, we start to feel inadequate!
The enemy loves to whisper things like, “You aren’t as qualified as they are.” “They are so much more talented than you.” “They are so much prettier than you.” “They are a better mom than you.” “You aren’t doing your job well.” “You should stop trying, you’ll never measure up.” “They have their life together and your life is a mess.” “Why did you think you could even try? You should just give up.” “Remember that huge mistake you made years ago?” Do any of these sound familiar? It can be never ceasing until we learn to take our thoughts captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), and you can only do that when you remain in him.
But here’s the problem with jealousy amongst women who are following Christ. ARE we truly going to be jealous of the fruit in someone else’s life that is produced by Jesus in them to feed his sheep? Because that is exactly what the enemy wants us to do. To compare ourselves and to feel inadequate, which turns to jealousy. Jealousy is a bitter bad fruit that will lead to bitter rotten fruit in our life, and will block good fruit from growing.
God has called us to be women who celebrate when another is producing fruit in her life! To rejoice that the fruit that God has brought forth that will feed many in the kingdom of God!! Remember, the final stage is the only one that’s evident to everyone. The FRUIT! We didn’t see all that happened behind the scenes as that person abided in Jesus, allowed the pruning to happen. We didn’t see the difficult seasons where they clung to Jesus with all they had and were refined and pruned until the gold and bountiful fruit burst forth in their life. Most of us didn’t see the blossoming season when those small blossoms were signs of what was to come. Every piece of fruit Jesus produces in our lives has a story to tell.
Every piece of fruit Jesus produces in our lives has a story to tell.
Don’t allow comparison to steal what God wants to do in your own life. He has fruit he wants to produce in YOU that’s intended to feed someone! Someone in your sphere, in your circles, needs what God is going to bring forth in your life. You’ll be able to say to someone who is going through a difficult time, “I’ve been there! But look at what God did in my life! He is so good!” And you will bring forth a testimony and declare His goodness! You will bring forth the fruit of what he has brought you through, and someone else needs that fruit from you to point them to Jesus!
Fruit feeds the kingdom of God. Let’s not be women who are jealous of the ones around us who are bearing much fruit in this season. Let’s learn from them. Instead of jealousy, let’s be women who start asking the story of the fruit in their lives! I guarantee you, there will be a story that you can learn from. If we learn to do these things, and remain in Jesus, we can be women who live in freedom, full confidence, free of jealousy, and free of resentment. Women with an abundance of fruit, many different varieties, many different arrangements of clusters, and many different colors, that will feed the kingdom of God.
