Melissa Runcie | Madabella

Guest Post: Eve Montano :: Fruit of Long Suffering

I invited guests to reflect on the fruit of being planted in Christ. I pray you are ministered by their journey and ponderings of faith.

Eve Montano

I met Eve a year ago and we quickly discovered we were kindred spirits, sharing similar dreams and passions. Her countenance shines bright as she talks about her Savior and Lord. Relying on the power of prayer, she has endured great trials and witnessed even greater miracles. She recently began "Praying Women" an online ministry through Facebook of more than 200 women, reaching as far as Ireland. May her testimony be a blessing to you, today!

THE FRUIT OF LONG SUFFERING

Long suffering/patience: Capacity for waiting – the ability to endure waiting delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties, patient enduring in the face of suffering or difficulty.

 

 

I gave my life to the LORD in February of 1986.

The Pastor taught that night on Psalm 27:13-14:

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"

Those words twanged in my heart – It was a promise the LORD made to me. I would see HIS goodness, but I would have to wait. I didn’t wait when the alter call was made – I ran up there. How many people get saved with the words wait? Just proves GODS word never goes out void.

My husband came to the LORD when I was pregnant with my daughter Brianna. On that day the LORD gave me a glimpse of the man he would become, so I would wait year after year. During that time the LORD was working on my heart. I would pray year after year “LORD please change my husband into that man I saw on April, 1990”.

This didn’t happen overnight.

After 18 years I had come to a place where my heart became hardened. I grew tired of waiting & in the secret places of my heart I had developed a timetable for this change to take place. I had decided right after Bri’s High School graduation I was leaving. I had waited 20 years & I was done.

On February of 2009 my husband had a heart attack. I’m not so selfish to think that the LORD allowed it to happen to change my heart, but it did. When he had the heart attack JESUS cut the rebellion right out of my heart –you can say I’m the one who had heart surgery.

The LORD blessed me with these verses: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”. Isaiah 43:18-19

My prayer then changed to “LORD make me into the woman my husband needs me to be , into a woman who is loving, submissive & honest”.

Patience is hard, very, very hard. I think that is why it’s a gift; we cannot achieve this on our own. I also learned that GOD will use every little thing to bring us into submission. After Anthony got home I confessed my sin to him, & he forgave me!

Finally I let the LORD knit us together.

“And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

The LORD told me in February of 1986 to wait on HIM – it took 20 years to change my heart! HE is still working in me – I’m so very glad the LORD is patient towards me. I have learned many things from my LORD. But 'Waiting' on HIM has shown me what HE has for me is ultimately better than anything I can come up with.

"The LORD is good to those who wait for HIM, to the soul who seeks HIM." Lamentation 3:25

PLANTED is a 4-week Bible Study. This is week 4, Reaping a Harvest. View an overview of weekly lessons. // Begin week 1, Sowing Seeds // Begin week 2, Firmly Rooted // Begin week 3, Pruning Branches. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feeder.

Remember This :: No. 4

"Remember This" is a challenge to sow God's Word in the soil of your hearts. Meditate, analyze, question, think on, ponder and remember this.

 

This week I'm challenged to yield to God's complete care, letting the Vine work all things according to His plan and to be blessed in His love of carrying and maintaining my life every moment. Certainly there is joy in surrender as we abide and remain in Him.

PLANTED is a 4-week Bible Study. View an overview of weekly lessons. // Begin week 1, Sowing Seeds // Begin week 2, Firmly Rooted // Begin week 3, Pruning Branches. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feeder.

Image Credit

Bible Study Session 4: Reaping the Harvest

“For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning the vines,
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

The fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!’”
- Song of Solomon

This beautiful deep exhale of dark clouds floating away, holding back their rain, flowers blooming, vines blossoming and fruit ripening is a promise of the harvest we reap.

 


HARVEST WE PARTAKE

As I began planning this study last November, I had no idea God would take me through an experiential lesson in being planted, staying firm and waiting on Him. Months of dealing with loss, trials of family division, rebuilding marriage and strained friendships had taken its toll and I began to feel defeat and worn from the battle.

Almost every day, no matter how dark my days felt, planting the seeds of God’s Word in my heart suddenly felt important, even if it was one word. Knowing God would water and cause the growth in His own time kept me pressing toward the prize. As I yielded to the Holy Spirit, His Word continually brought comfort very specific to my needs; I even felt the exhilaration of victory even while in the thicket of my trials.

When we fix our eyes on the prize rather than the pain, the harvest seemingly comes when least expected. Only then can we experience a deep comfort and joy because we believe God at His Word. Peter knew this secret and he shared it with us:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…” I Peter 1:6-8 (emphasis mine)

Truthfully, my circumstances haven’t changed. But God has brought forth fruit in areas I didn’t think possible and in timing that wasn’t my own. Deeper love in a marriage. More joy in friendships. Greater peace in trials.

 


When the harvest comes, we bear fruit for others. After all, have you see a tree eat its own apple? Yet, God nourishes us in the process, as well, so we learn to rely on His strength.

Fruit sustains our faith and deepens trust in the Master Gardener.
Fruit invites us to abide more deeply in Christ.

There are still some branches of mine being pruned, some have been broken off and are being grafted back into the Vine, but seeing God flourish places that had no sign of life has deepened the seeds of perseverance as I simply wait on Him.

HARVEST WE GIVE

Paul didn’t walk through the vineyard that night as Jesus unveiled the mystery of abiding in Him. Yet he unmistakably experienced pruning and abiding in Christ for the purpose of serving others.

Philippians 3:5-6 boasts an exhaustive list of Paul’s credentials:

A people of Israel
Of the tribe of Benjamin
A Hebrew of Hebrews
A Pharisee
Zeal
For Legalistic Righteousness

Yet Paul counted His entire resume as loss. By the end of his life, he had virtually nothing left of himself. Everything that validated Paul as credible, intelligent, valid and prestigious had been pruned away.

Read Philippians 3:7-15. How did Paul respond and what was the harvest that came from being pruned?

His one passion, His one calling, His one desire was to fix His eyes on Jesus. His testimony of mature pruning is an example to us. (Philippians 3:15) He didn’t look at what He left behind, which I tend to do often. He pressed forward, desperately desiring to bear fruit.

Paul’s new resume and credentials sound quite different from where he started:

“I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. Acts 20:19-21

No matter what field God plants us in - as a stay at home mom, as a wife, as a daughter, as an employee, as a bible teacher, as an evangelist, as a sister - we all bring forth fruit to point others to Christ.

 


HARVEST THAT DOESN’T COME

So what do we do when vines don’t seem to have fruit? How do we respond to God when we’ve sowed as much as we know to sow, then nothing?

I wish I had profound words, but I won’t sugar coat what God’s already said. In the midst of one of my trials, on day that was hard to endure, I opened my bible to Psalm 27 and read the first few verses:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.” Psalm 27:1-2

Everything around me seemed dry and barren, yet God promised He would be my stronghold in the face of the trails that would stumble.

I closed my Bible and literally cried out rejoicing because I could taste the fruit of victory even thought I was still a barren branch on the front lines of the battlefield. As the Lord would have it, I needed to read a little more of the passage even though my Bible was closed and moments later, a friend emailed me this:

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:13-14

Yes, wait.

Wait, because you know the fields will bring forth fruit in due time. We are renewed in strength as we wait and serve, rather than become exhausted from trying to take matters into our own hands. God’s promises will come to fruition. In the mean time, we survive by abiding – that is trusting and resting in God’s grace and power.

Discussion: Share a comment on the study. Has God brought forth fruit in your life recently? Praise HIM for the mighty work. If you are waiting to bear fruit, what is the Spirit asking YOU to do right where you are planted?

In your study guide, which will be available for download later today, you’ll discover more about your purpose in bearing fruit, what to do about "last year’s harvest" and more responses to the harvest that hasn't come.

Week 4 :: Reaping the Harvest

 
It's time to gather fruit! You and I have been planted in good soil and the harvest is entirely up to the Master Farmer and Vinedresser. He is in control of our lives, so how do we respond to the harvest? What if the harvest this year isn't what we hoped for or anticpated? What then? That is what we'll explore this week.   

If you haven't had a chance to share, leave a comment on sowing seeds, being firmly rooted or pruning branches. I'd love to hear one thing the Lord has opened your eyes to or reminded you of in this journey to be firmly planted in Him!

Week 4 | AT A GLANCE  

Tuesday :: Session 4 Bible Study + Study Guide
Wednesday :: Scripture Verse of the Week
Thursday :: Guest Writer, Eve Montano
Weekend :: Worship Highlight + Discussion

PLANTED is a 4-week Bible Study. View an overview of weekly lessons. // Begin week 1, Sowing Seeds // Begin week 2, Firmly Rooted // Begin week 3, Pruning Branches. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feeder.

Weekend Discussion + Just Be A Branch

I intended to share a worship song, but I wanted to share a few more thoughts before we get to our Harvest next week!

Continuing on my quest to discover more of Jesus in His message about the true Vine, I found myself pondering and questioning what it really means to be the branch.

 


I was struck by the simple fact that the vine needs the branches. The vine cannot produce fruit without the branches.

“For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field.” I Corinthians 3:9

Does God need us? No, He chooses us. He chooses to use us to show the world what His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control look like. Have you seen a branch on grapevine? It is simply a small piece of wood that receives sap from the vine.

A feeble, fragile branch fulfills the purpose of the stable, strong Vine. It is useless and fruitless without the Vine. God pours out exceeding sources of life and power to His children so we will shine God’s glory.

“…hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5

The branch can do nothing without yielding to the Vine. How often I try in my own might, power and positive thinking to love harder, be more faithful and exercise self-control.  Every move I make must be utterly and completely dependent on Jesus, just as the branch is utterly and completely dependent on the Vine.  

“Just be a branch!” God tells us.  “Cease striving to bear your own fruit, stay connected and know that I am the Vine.”

Bow down. Worship. Rest. Wait. Pray. Be still. Yield. Trust.
Abide. Continue in, remain, dwell.

Wait for the sap of my Spirit to pour into you.

Then, receive.

“You have only one thing to do – just be a branch – nothing more, nothing less!”
Andrew Murray

Surrender to My Shears

We need to remember to “just be a branch” when the Vinedresser comes into prune us back, essentially bringing us low to the ground, cutting the branches all the way back.

What gets in the way of a branch producing fruit? The branch.

Yes, the branch. You. Me. We get in the way of our own growth.

No other plant grows so quickly into wildwood. Without pruning, the vine grows into untamed, fruitless foliage. Pruning is not cutting away at outside thorns or weeds that prohibit growth. Pruning cuts the growth of the branch. In some instances of girdling (mentioned in study guide), fruit is even removed.

God metaphorically cuts out the pieces within us, scales back even fruitful areas where we are growing with vigor and doing good works…so we will have even more vigor, more life, more vitality and ultimately more Jesus.

In being a co-laborer for God we can have a tendency to start relying on our own natural God given-gifts, wisdom and strength. It’s called getting comfortable! We risk our gifts becoming underdeveloped or not as effective as God wants. We may even just stop needing God.

That’s what happened to the church in Ephesus. Their exhaustive list of service didn’t replace the fact that they stopped relying on the Spirit. “You have forsaken your first love,” Jesus revealed. “Remember from where you have fallen, repent and do the deeds you did at first.” (Revelation 2:2-5)

Let’s just be the branch, utterly dependent on and trusting in the Vine, and surrender to His shears as He faithfully works to complete the good work He began in us.

Discussion: Click to comment and share about this week’s study. What new seed has God planted in your heart about pruning? Has God ever scaled back your ministry?

Guest Post: Melissa Brotherton :: Fruit of Self Control

I invited guests to reflect on the fruit of being planted in Christ. I pray you are ministered by their journey and ponderings of faith.

Melissa Brotherton
www.melissabrotherton.com

A natural storyteller and writer, Melissa is someone I greatly admire. Her understanding of the Word coupled with the willingness to be transperant have allowed me to see God work in different ways. She's a mama to four children under the age of five and she's been married to her high school sweetheart for ten years. I'm blessed to call her friend and I look forward to see God flourish her ministry.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FRUIT OF SELF CONTROL

Staring at the now empty pint of ice cream in amazement, I can’t believe that I ate as much as I did. My aching stomach testifies to the fact, although that heavy feeling deep inside of me is more than just chocolate and cream.

Opening the credit card bill, my heart skips a beat as I look at the balance. How could a few trips here and a stop in there have added up to so much? The payment we’d just made to allow us to bring our balance to zero had been swallowed up in treats and entertainment.

“I’m only going to check my email.” Over an hour later I reluctantly step away from the laptop, the children’s pleas for attention and assistance have become too persistent to ignore further. As my husband walks in the door to a still messy living room and a yet-to-be-started dinner, a wave of guilt washes over me.

Self-control: the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions.

The ability to show restraint is not easy to master. If there’s a snack in my cupboard, credit to be spent or something fun to do; I have trouble saying “no” to myself.

Gluttony, greed, sloth: all ugly names for things that people let slide every day. We all say we should eat better, spend less, exercise more, etc. Usually it’s around this time of year that people are beginning to fudge on their New Year’s Resolutions, many of which revolve around these very issues.

Like quicksand, we struggle to pull ourselves up out of our habits, only to be sucked further down till it almost overwhelms us.

Take a look at Galatians 5:22-23:

“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Self-control is not determining to keep from messing up again. It’s not being strong enough to abstain from addiction; controlling oneself.

Self-control is a work of the Holy Spirit in your life to control the self-will that sinfully resides within each of us.

Only through obedience to the Spirit did I determine to sell my phone so that I’m less distracted around my kids. Through promptings of the Spirit, my husband and I have committed to a 21-day fast from media in the evenings, so we can focus on what God’s doing in our life.

To curb our appetites, fight our addictions and learn self-control, we need to be Spirit-controlled.

PLANTED is a 4-week Bible Study. This is Week 3: Pruning Branches. View an overview of weekly lessons. // Begin week 1, Sowing Seeds // Begin week 2, Firmly Rooted // Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feeder.

Remember This :: No. 3

"Remember This" is a challenge to sow God's Word in the soil of your hearts. Meditate, analyze, question, think on, ponder and remember this.

 

In our fast-paced, ever evolving world it's hard to imagine anything that stands the test of time and has lasting impact. Yet God, who is unchanging, chose us to bear fruit that would remain.

Imagine, our branches will run deep and wide throughout humanity and into eternity!

It starts there. Right where you are. With your husband. And children. And family. And friends. And neighbors. And co-workers. That is where your first seeds of love, joy and peace will fall. Then someone will water it and God will cause the growth.

The fruit of your labor will remain because your Vinedresser has chosen and appointed you to impact the world for His glory!

PLANTED is a 4-week Bible Study. View an overview of weekly lessons. // Begin week 1, Sowing Seeds // Begin week 2, Firmly Rooted // Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feeder.

Week 3 Study Guide: Pruning Branches (Download)

This study guide is a follow up to Bible Study Session 3: Pruning Branches and allows for you to dig deeper into God's Word on the purpose of discipline and pruning. Not fun topics to study, but remembering who the Vinedresser is, gives us courage to flourish even under God's holy shears! I pray you reap the benefits of time abiding in Him.

:: Click to Download Planted Week 3 StudyGuide. (PDF Document, 1.87 MB) 

Bible Study Session 3: Pruning Branches

In the video, I discuss how Jesus introduced Himself as the Vine and the purpose of our lives as His disciples. Subscribers, click here to view the video.

My husband and I have traveled to Napa quite a few times. We’ve seen multitudes of grapes growing on vines, breathing in the aroma that fills the valley during harvest. Traveling during seasons where vines have been cut back and branches appear dry and barren has been just as intriguing. Large wineries boasted a hefty staff from the vineyard owner to tour guides, while smaller wineries were established in homes where vineyards become backyards and the owner hails from a family line of wine makers.

MY FATHER IS THE VINEDRESSER

Jesus could have said the Father was the vineyard owner, manager or winemaker. God’s role certainly encompasses all of that. However, Jesus in John 15:1, specifically refers to God as the “Vinedresser.”

It is the Vinedresser who prunes and sculpts the vine. Without the skilled craftsmanship and timeliness of the Vinedresser, a vine cannot produce a high quality or quantity of grapes. The owner possesses the land, overseeing its operations but the person with the shears determines how profitable the owner and how fruitful the vine will be.

Why do you think Jesus chose to describe the Father as Vinedresser, or Gardner?

Even in the Old Testament, God likened His people to a vineyard. Isaiah gives further insight into God’s role as Vinedresser:

”A vineyard of wine, sing of it! I, the Lord, am its keeper; I water it every moment. Lest anyone damage it, I guard it night and day.” Isaiah 27:2-3

As Vinedresser, God’s care is meticulous, purposeful and constant.

Like with farming, the land of the vineyard is prepared before planting. A dormant grapevine shoot is planted after the soil has been prepared by removing rocks or debris and amending the soil for nutrients. Then, after a year, the vine is pruned all the way back to only two buds. Looking at the vine, it appears as if all the growth has been cut off. But the vinedresser knows precisely what is happening.



PURPOSE IN PRUNING

“Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit…By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, as so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:8

Bearing fruit, or doing good works, glorifies the Father. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” What does Matthew 5:16 say about our good works?

We aren’t saved by works, but as clearly pointed out in James, our works reveal our faith and love for the Lord, allowing us to carry out the works He prepared for us. (Ephesians 2:10).

Right now, my (few) good works are mostly seen by my husband and children, as I do my best to take care of, love and support them. The Father knows my desire to care for orphans, encourage women who are hurting or serve youth. Having worked in the nonprofit sector for many years, I gravitate toward helping those who have access to very little resources. Yet, for now, God has called me to stay planted and bloom at home. Wherever you are planted, it’s just as important as where you want to be.

Where is God asking you to bear fruit? In your home, school, work, ministry?

Recently, God has been pruning me back as far as He knows I am able to handle. (He still is and always will be!) Pruning most often comes in the form of trials and tribulation. I told a friend I sensed God saying, “I am cutting away from you. Will you hold on tight until I am finished?” It has been extremely difficult and I’ve suffered days of dark depression, loss and brokenness over my sin during this season. Pruning is never easy, but God has graciously allowed certain areas of my life to flourish and bear more fruit than before. In days of defeat, God tenderly reminds me He in control, His purposes are good and that His shears are holy!

God’s strategy for cultivating a harvest almost seems contradictory. He has to prune, meaning “to cut back, to thin, to reduce,” in order to bring a bounty? Less is more?

As I think back, God cut away unnecessary commitments; He thinned by MY priorities to make room for HIS priorities and He reduced my selfish ambitions so He could fill me with HIS ambitions. Again, God is still working this process in me and will until the day I stand before Him.

God didn’t allow me to walk through some heavy trials because I was a barren branch. I’ve BEEN that barren, dry, dead branch and have walked through the discipline of the Father. I discovered this truth found nestled in John 15: If I bear fruit, God will prune me so I bear more fruit.



Trials are not necessarily discipline, punishment or even consequence. Sometimes they are simply God saying, “I see your good works and now you are ready to produce more.”

On the vineyard, pruning is the vinedresser’s only technique for ensuring a plentiful harvest. With God, it is no different. Without pruning, I will never be able to reach the full potential that God has purposed for me as a mother, wife or woman of faith.

Isn’t our prayer to be more like Him? To love like He does? To llve in His will? The answer to those prayers is found in the vineyard. Left by itself, a grapevine will simply grow foliage. Bright, green beautiful leaves with very little harvest. But the purpose of a grapevine is to grow grapes, not look pretty! And that’s why our Vinedresser will cut away the unnecessary shoots that we grow in our own strength, as Jeremiah 17:5 points out. God wants us to bear much fruit. 

In your study guide, which will be available later today, we’ll explore the difference between discipline and pruning and also talk about how we can flourish in pruning.

Discussion: Share a comment on the study. How has God pruned away unnecessary branches in your own life? OR What areas of your life are producing fruit where God wants MORE fruit?

God's Love Notes

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to repost God's Love Notes.

God’s love to you is a loyal promise that will never be broken because it is rooted in who HE is, not who we are. In Hebrew, it's Chesed. A powerful and robust love speaking of God’s character and covenant.

When loveless Israel was rejecting God for false idols and forsaking His covenant, He said, “I led them with cords of kindness, with bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke of their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.” Hosea 11:4

By this unfailing, constant, merciful, unchanging, eternal love we have been redeemed. (Isaiah 63:9)

A distilled response or lack of affection will not change or disfigure God’s love toward me. Transient and wavering is my love for God, but His divine love is an anchor to my soul.  

Download the entire collection of 30 notes expressing God's love, click here. 



Look for evidences of God’s love for you throughout the day, and remind yourself often that you are the object of His complete, endless love!