August 16

Ezekiel 15
In Portland, OR, the blackberry vines were everywhere. They were almost a nuisance. If you didn’t keep mowing them, they were like what kudzu is to the south. They would take over an empty lot if left unchecked. After they reached a certain size, the lawn mower could not handle them. I have seen blackberry brambles on empty lots that grew taller than I. They had only one purpose, to produce blackberries. The vines are not useful for anything else. But ohh in August, when the blackberries were ripe, they were wonderful! The fruit has only one purpose—to reproduce the life of the vine. I guarantee you that if they did not produce fruit, no one would put up with them. Without the fruit they are just a nuisance, fit only for burning.
We are called to seek the Lord. That is our life. We were created for the purpose of knowing and glorifying Him. What does the Lord do when we cease to fulfill that purpose? He first calls us to repent. What if we ignore that call? He continues to call. What if we continue in resisting Him? Eventually, He will burn those who continue in resistance. When we seek Him, His fruit, His life, is produced in our lives. Apart from His fruit, we are just a nuisance, fit only for burning. Everything else is useless vine. But ohh, when the fruit of His life is ripe in our lives, something wonderful happens. He wants that something wonderful to happen. If it persistently does not happen, He will burn His vine. He wants us to know Him, that is when the fruit is produced. And ohh His fruit is wonderful! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john