Dear Friends,

Most of us are pretty far removed from agriculture, these days.  I wonder when you last picked a piece of fruit off of a tree.  If you are anything like me, the closest you get to fruit trees is the produce aisle at the grocery store.  When I eat an apple or a grape or a blueberry, I rarely think about the tree or vine or bush that it was attached to before I ate it.  I don’t consider what it took for that fruit to grow…the physical conditions, the time, or the process of maturity.  I don’t consider how the plant from which it came is probably still there, producing more fruit for others to enjoy.  

Joseph produced much fruit in his life – he practically saved the known world from famine by stockpiling Egyptian grain for times of scarcity.  He definitely saved his own family from starvation by providing food and a new home in Egypt.  However, Joseph also suffered much.  He suffered abandonment, accusation, imprisonment, neglect, and misunderstanding.  The fruit of his life came after a long season of what probably felt like drought and famine to his soul. 

If you read the account of Joseph’s life in Genesis, one phrase comes up again and again.  It is, “the Lord was with Joseph.”  Joseph and the Lord were never estranged.  Whether in Potiphar’s house, in prison, or in Pharaoh’s palace, the Lord was with Joseph.  The relationship that Joseph had with the Lord was constant.  

Joseph’s story of fruitfulness reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 15:4-5, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  The key to bearing fruit is being a part of the vine and trusting the Lord, as Joseph trusted, no matter the circumstances.  Success is something I can attain or achieve; fruit is something God must create through me as I abide in Him.

May you find peace and encouragement at the Source of Life today as you abide in Him.  And, may your life bear much fruit…even in the land of your suffering.

Blessings,

Ron