Well, it's on sale. Its original price is US$9.99, I bought it with HK$15!!!
The whole little book is about John 15. I'm not entirely certain that its interpretation of the passage is right (who can be sure anyway?), though the underlying teaching serves as a great reminder.
In summary, this book is about:
1. If your life consistently bears no fruit, God will intervene to DISCIPLINE you.
2. If your life bears some fruit, God will intervene to PRUNE you.
3. If your life bears a lot of fruit, God will invite you to ABIDE more deeply with him.
For me, the most interesting point is Point #1 on John 15:2, "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away." According to the author, the word "taketh away" in Greek is airo. And it doesn't mean cut off, instead it means lift up.
So what does it mean to lift up a branch? The writer learned from a vineyard owner that new branches tend to grow downwards and become covered with dust, and as a result, they cannot bear fruits. What the owner needs to do is lift them up and wash them, so that they can bear fruit again. Of course, the dust represents sins, sadness, etc.
What struck me most while reading this (other than learning about how vines grow) is the example that the writer used in explaining this-- a woman who was stuck spiritually at the same point for years because of her bitterness towards her mother. Not that I have the same problem. Definitely a similar problem though. (I'll explain this in the next entry.)
As for the second point on pruning, it's from "Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." John 15:2 In short, it's a test of faith when God wants you to bear even more fruit.
And the third point is from John 15:4, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine; so neither can you, unless you abide in Me." When you're already bearing quite a lot of food, you need to abide in God to bear even more.
No comments:
Post a Comment