Complete Joy

Complete joy!

9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. 13 [a]No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends,[b] because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. 17 This I command you: love one another.-John15:9-17

If we want a joy that is complete, we have to be open and receptive to the joy of Christ. To receive the joy of Christ, one must remain in His love. To remain in His love, one must keep His commandments - which is still about Love. Is there really such a thing as joy that is complete? I say, "Yes!" Jesus Himself said, 'I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.' To stay in Jesus' love and to keep His commandments also mean doing the will of God. The will of God can also be in the smallest of all actions i.e. being kind to our employees.

Vine and Branches

Bear much fruit!

1 [a]“I am the true vine,[b] and my Father is the vine grower. 2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes[c] so that it bears more fruit. 3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 [d]Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.-John15:1-8

Such a beautiful reading. It is totally true that without Jesus, we can do nothing. Some atheists would challenge this though. For them, we are naturally endowed with gifts and talents. Thus, we can do things on our own. But then, one would wonder - where exactly did we get the gifts and talents? How come we have these gifts, but it is not given to the rest of the animals? I have experienced being stripped of everything. Yes, I really have nothing, everything is gone. As I started picking myself again, and as I filled up an application form, I realized how nothing I am. No matter how excellent my answers are or how brilliant I am, if it is not the will of God, I cannot push through at all or go anywhere. Thus, I can say, we need Jesus in our life. Without Him, we are totally lost, and we cannot bear fruit at all. It is only through Jesus that great things can happen to us.

Image courtesy: artist

Pruning

God prunes us that we many grow more.

1 [a]“I am the true vine,[b] and my Father is the vine grower. 2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes[c] so that it bears more fruit. 3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 [d]Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.-John15:1-8

As I reflected, I asked myself if God truly takes or cuts away a branch - that is, reject us. If it is so, that will be contrary to His image as a Father and a Good Shepherd. I do believe that God never rejects, rather He prunes and prunes and prunes. Nobody is too slow to be overlooked. Nobody bears too little to be rejected. Nobody just suddenly stops bearing fruit or stops doing good. Remember, we are born good right from the start. God prunes us so that virtues will come out, or the good in us will come out. However, since pruning means cutting, sometimes we are pained along the way. Today, Jesus is encouraging us to not be afraid because He means well if He prunes us. When He prunes us, it is expected that we will bear much much fruit - and these fruits will make our lives more fulfilling, beautiful and enriching.

Image courtesy: artist