Glory Giver. You!

God is a gardener. I like that thought. I mean no disrespect as I use my imagination. I kind of want him to have really good worn in overalls. I want him to have simple worn in work boots and of course a long sleeve shirt. My grandaddy Faulk always wore a long sleeve shirt even when it was 103 outside. Flannel even. Soft, faded barn red bandana slightly sticking out of one of the overall back pockets. A snot rag. Really, that's what it was. Gentle sweat on his brow. Well duh. Flannel shirt you know.

Tending in the garden, calmly working and not too busy to have a slow conversation, pausing whenever to lift the bill of his straw hat to look in my face and see me. See me.

See me.

See you.

Are you there with me?

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit. They are thrown in the fire and burned. Ooooo, Hot!

He prunes (which is actually just a gardening word for cuts) every branch that does bear fruit so that it will be more fruitful.

Huh. All the branches get cut. Every branch. I can hear these words forming in my heart tongue. "Hey, I kind of get that my branches that are not bearing fruit get cut and burned up. I've got that coming to me. But my branches that are bearing fruit....I'm kind of thinking, how about a pat on the back and a little garden party to celebrate that there's even fruit there and knock it off with the constant cutting?"

"No."

"Abundant fruit."

"More growth."

You can find these lines in the bible book of John, chapter 15 in the first 8 verses. Well, not the flannel shirt and the snot rag, but the main plot you know. Jesus really hoes home (garden lingo:) the idea of us staying with God the gardener, really hanging with him because He is really hanging with us. "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit." Stay with Jesus. Abundant Fruit. Stay with Jesus. Apart from him is not very fruitful.

And tucked in the midst of these words is this crazy big thing that I don't want to rush away from. That you and I are glory givers. Glory giver? Haven't really heard that phrase a lot. In verse 8 of chapter 15 in the bible book of John...."This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." God's glory is on display as abundant fruit is displayed in our lives. It's like a built in glory party. He's the reason that we can even bear fruit to start with, apart from him we can do nothing, and it brings glory to Him and abundance to us. A cyclical, glory habit loop. I can think of worst habit loops:)

God's glory is all His. It's not dependent on us. But as vessels that hold God's glory, which amazingly is His idea, it's reflected back to Him through juicy fruit in our lives and one of the harvest results is complete joy. The joy of Jesus in me. The joy of Jesus in you. That's in verse 11 if you want a peek. That is stunning. The joy of Jesus can be planted in us. I want it.

Of all the names that you and I could be called today....could call ourselves today....how about this one. Glory giver. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit.

The gardener is lifting the bill of his straw hat to see you.......see me.....linger......

Juicy Fruit.

There's more.