Good Morning Sunshine! You Are Not Just Standing; You Are Bearing Fruit!

John 15:2 (KJV) ~ “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

Jesus teaches that fruitfulness is the evidence of true connection. It is not enough to simply be attached; you must also be producing. Fruit is not manufactured; it is the natural result of abiding. Pruning is not punishment; it is preparation for greater productivity. When you are deeply rooted and connected to God, your life will produce something that reflects Him.

As I pondered on what God had said about fruit not being manufactured, I began to wonder about the difference in it. I asked myself, what does natural fruit really look like compared to something that is forced, created, or imitated? And in that moment, the Lord began to unfold a deeper understanding. Natural fruit is the result of connection, time, and process. It cannot be rushed, it cannot be forced, and it cannot be faked. It grows because it is connected to a living source. Manufactured fruit, on the other hand, may look appealing on the outside, but it lacks life, depth, and sustainability. It may impress for a moment, but it cannot reproduce or nourish.

As I reflected, I was reminded of what Dr. Tracy shared with me about trees, how a lemon tree produces lemons and an orange tree produces oranges. A tree does not struggle to decide what kind of fruit to produce; it produces according to its nature and its connection. It does not strive; it simply abides in what it was created to be. You will never see an orange tree trying to produce apples, and you will never see a lemon tree forcing itself to become something else. The fruit is a natural expression of what the tree is rooted in. And in the same way, what you produce in your life is a reflection of what you are connected to.

Even in the natural world, fruit takes time. An apple tree does not produce fruit overnight. It can take years for a tree to mature enough to bear consistent fruit, and even once it begins, the process of each apple forming, growing, and ripening takes time. There are seasons of budding, seasons of waiting, and seasons of harvest. And this is where the distinction becomes clear, natural fruit requires patience, process, and positioning, while manufactured fruit bypasses all three. God is not looking for something you can put together quickly. He is not asking you to perform, to imitate, or to create something that only looks like fruit. He is looking for what naturally flows from your connection with Him. Because real fruit has substance. Real fruit carries life. Real fruit reproduces. So, the question becomes, what kind of fruit are you producing? Is it something that has grown through your relationship with God, or is it something you have tried to manufacture through effort, appearance, or expectation?

As you continue to reflect, I want to bring your attention back to the second tree, the one that was still standing, yet bare. It was not uprooted, and it had not fallen, but there was something missing. It stood in position, but it lacked evidence of life, and that image began to speak to in a deeper way. Have you ever seen a bare tree standing? You do know that standing is not the same thing as thriving. Think about it, you can still be in place, still be present, still be visible, and yet not be producing anything that reflects true connection. You can look stable on the outside while lacking fruit on the inside. Let me tell you what I mean, have you ever had piece of fruit, like an orange and it looked good on the outside, firm, big and you peeled it and took that first bite and it was horrible, it was sour and not good to eat, you had to throw it away. (Stop want to just look good to the eye and be hollow and empty on the inside. This is why you must be; you got to be connected to God.)

This is where I hope this question becomes more personal to you. As you can see it is no longer just about whether you are rooted, it is about what your life is producing. Because being deeply rooted in God will always lead to something being developed through you.  John 15:5 reminds you, “I am the vine, ye are the branches… he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.” Fruit is not optional; it is the evidence of you abiding in God. If you are truly connected, something will grow, you just have to be patient in and with the process.

Now it is time for you to examine your own life, but not with judgment, but with honesty. What is being produced through you in this season? Is there evidence of growth, of transformation, of spiritual maturity? Or have you become comfortable just standing? There are seasons where you may find yourself maintaining position without producing fruit. You are showing up, doing what you know to do, and remaining in place, but there is little evidence of life flowing through you. And it’s in those moments, God is not condemning you, He is inviting you deeper.

I need you to understand that fruit does not grow in comfort, it grows in connection. It grows when you remain in God, when you stay in His Presence, and when you allow His Word to take root within you. Without that connection, fruit cannot and will not be sustained. Galatians 5:22–23 reminds you of the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. These are not things you force; they are things that flow when you are connected to the right source. It is in this place that you should really realize that fruit takes time. It does not appear overnight, and it cannot be rushed. There are seasons where growth is happening beneath the surface before anything is visible. And just because you do not see fruit yet does not mean something is not developing.

But there is also a truth you cannot ignore, if there is no fruit over time, something needs to be examined. Because true connection always produces evidence. It may not be immediate, but it will be evident. (Here is one way you will know that something is happening, your respond differently to what would have gotten a reaction out of you.) Remember that the tree we are talking about was not dead, it was just bare. (Learn the difference between what is bare and what is dead.) And that distinction matters, because it means there is still potential. There is still life, there is still opportunity, and there is still time to become fruitful again. God is not looking for your perfection; He is looking for connection. He is not asking you to produce on your own, He is asking you to remain in Him so that fruit can naturally flow through your life.

And then there is the purging and pruning process, the part that is often misunderstood. The cutting away, the removing, the refining. It can feel uncomfortable, even painful, but it is necessary for growth for your growth. Since I write the devotionals in advance, I had to come back and add this in because Dr. Tracy sent me a picture of a tree that was standing, with a broken limb and as we talked about it, I felt like it belonged in this devotion. So, let me tell you about it, it had leaves and branches, but what stood out was one of the branches had been broken and it was barely connected. Same tree, same soil and yet broken. Somethings and people are only meant to be connected to you for a little while or it will stunt your growth. (Let it and them go!) I loved Dr. Tracy’s response, it so befitting for this moment. She said, “it made her think of loss, that the tree was going to become better because that branch was being pruned. It was allowed to grow there for a season, but then God, her Abba Father, pruned it will love so that it could bear more fruit. It is a part of the supernatural designer of our vine.” (See the tree picture below.) God is pruning you for your advancement in the Kingdom, stop fighting the process, because it will happen if that is what your Father wants.

Know this and embrace it, God will remove what is hindering you so that you can produce more. Now you should see that the absence of fruit is not the end, it is an invitation. It is a call to go deeper, to reconnect, and to allow God to do a new work within you. So today, you are not just asking if you are standing, you are asking if you are producing. You are not just examining your position; you are examining your fruit. And as this truth settles over and within you, here is the question again, more personal deeper than before. If God came today… would my life show evidence that I have been connected to Him?

Let’s Pray:

Father, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Father, I come before You with a heart that desires to be truly connected to You. I acknowledge that there have been seasons where I have been standing but not producing, where I have been present but not fruitful, and today I ask You to draw me deeper into You. Lord, search my life and reveal what I am producing. Show me what is flowing through me, whether it reflects You or not. Give me the honesty to see it clearly and the humility to allow You to transform it. Father, I do not want to just look like I am connected, I want to truly abide in You. Teach me how to remain in Your Presence, how to stay consistent in Your Word, and how to cultivate a relationship that produces real fruit in my life. Holy Spirit, please develop the fruit of Your Presence within me. Let love flow through me, let peace guard my heart, let joy strengthen me, and let patience grow within me. Let every area of my life reflect Your character and Your nature. Lord, I surrender every area that has become unproductive. Where I have grown stagnant, refresh me. Where I have become comfortable, stir me. Where I have stopped growing, awaken me again. Father, I ask for the grace to endure the pruning process. When You begin to remove things from my life, help me to trust You. Let me not resist what You are cutting away but understand that You are making room for more. Father, teach me how to let go of what is no longer serving Your purpose in my life. Whether it is habits, mindsets, relationships, or distractions, give me the strength to release it so that I can grow. Lord, I ask that You increase my capacity to produce. Expand me so that I can carry more of what You are pouring into me. Let my life be a vessel that reflects Your glory in every area. Father, I lift up those connected to me. Where they have become weary, renew them. Where they feel unproductive, remind them of their purpose. Where they feel disconnected, draw them back to You. Lord, I declare that I will not remain barren. I will not stay in a place of stagnation. I am connected to You, and my life will produce fruit in every season. Let my life be evidence of Your Presence. Let my growth reflect Your hand. Let my fruit point me back to You in everything that I do. Lord, let my life show that I have been abiding in You. Let there be evidence that I have not just stood, but that I have grown, developed, and produced through my connection with You. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.

Nugget ~ Real fruit doesn’t come from trying, it comes from abiding. And what grows naturally from your roots will always outlast what you try to manufacture!

Blessings…

Love, Dr. Jean…

Courtesy of Dr. Tracy White

Pruning Tree (Thanks Dr. Tracy)