From Andrew Jarvey

Fruit Will Happen

THAT TOMATO STORY!

I am not a gardener. Not even close. My family has green thumbs, but I missed that gene entirely. But once, in Adelaide, I had a random impulse: I bought a tomato plant. No plan, no skills, just walked out of the hardware store with it. I didn't expect it to survive, but I gave it a shot: I set up a watering system, added nutrients, and put stakes in the ground. Then I forgot about it.

Weeks later, I noticed flowers and tiny green bulbs. Optimism crept in. Then BOOM! The plant exploded with unbelievable growth. Tomatoes everywhere. We had so many we gave them to everyone – neighbours, church friends, basketball mates, anyone. My wife, Di, even started making chutney and sauces. The plant grew so wildly that it spilled out of the garden bed and took over the path. It felt like this tomato episode would never end! So many tomatoes! But, eventually, it did.

John 15:8 says, "When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father" (NLT).

This one simple verse makes it very clear that glorifying the Father is the primary purpose of our fruit-bearing. Bearing fruit in the context of this passage is not only about producing the fruit of the Spirit in our own lives (Gal 5:22-23), but also for the good of those around us. We show ourselves to be true disciples by being prolific fruit producers for God's kingdom. This passage is part of Jesus' teaching about being the "true vine" and his followers, the "branches". Fruitfulness is a natural result of staying connected to him, not a product of forced effort. It makes sense then that we must remain connected to him if we are ever going to produce good fruit.

Fascinated by this plant's explosive growth, I decided to research what I had experienced. This is what I found: Tomato flowers self-pollinate! Without making it feel like we're sitting through Year 10 Biology again, this usually happens when pollen is shaken from the male parts to the female parts by wind or physical vibration. All they need to produce fruit is a physical trigger that releases pollen. This can be as simple as gently shaking the plant, tapping the flowers, or using an electric toothbrush to dislodge the pollen. Sometimes we need a nudge for our fruit to impact the lives of others, right?

Reflection

• What is your connection to the vine like at the moment? Could it do with a bit of regrafting?
• How would you rate yourself in each of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26)?
• Who could you ask to intentionally support and nudge you, to help you become more fruitful?

Prayer

Lord of the Harvest, we want to produce amazing fruit in our lives and in the lives around us. We desire to produce a bumper crop of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, to give you glory. Sometimes, Lord, we need a little nudge to help us in the production phase. Help us to find the right people to support us and remind us that we need to be connected to you to produce good fruit. To you be the glory, always. Amen.