Jul 2
The Delight of Transition
Perhaps one of the ways to understand the third phase of transition is to understand the passage of Scripture where Jesus uses the analogy of the branches, the grapes, and the effect that pruning has on fruit production (John 15).
The whole idea of our lives on Earth is fruit production in all its forms. It is through fruit production that the Father is glorified (vs. 8). The way branches produce more fruit is through pruning and you guessed it – pruning is TRANSITION! The old is loped off or removed and the new is yet to come.
We may have been fruitful in our old life, career, house, ministry or any other endeavor we were involved in, but branches without the transition of pruning have decreasing yields of fruit. So the Father wants more fruit and rewards those who produce fruit with “Crowns”, but that is another story. Anyway, fruit is the idea, and I mean lots and lots of it! Why? Well let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. One step at a time, line upon line.
So how does desire, discipline and delight equate to grapes and pruning? Easy, you see transition begins right where we are - whack, we feel the uncomfortable sting of the vine dresser’s pruning shear. Cut to the nub, we are stuck where we are and hope something is coming. Slowly we begin to grow and we wonder what is going on. Weren’t we to move on? Why are we still here? Grapes may now begin to bud and even ripen. But, to our surprise, we will soon find this is simply the preparation for Transition.
DESIRE
Desire is displayed when the grapes are picked. You see the goal is not the grapes after all, it’s the taste, actually it is something far more precious than that. It’s Desire that stimulates our wanting to pick the grapes in hope of something fine and robust coming. It is desire for something more.
DISCIPLINE
The next thing we know we are thrown into a vat, a colander, or a wine press and the pressure begins. This is discipline and here we want with all our heart to escape from that which seems to be crushing the very life out of us. We seem to be losing the identity of our fruit. The grapes we worked so hard to produce, now have no identity of their own. And there in is the secret … God is more into wine than grapes!
DELIGHT
Delight comes in the drinking of the wine. Wine is not only the result of a loss of identity, it is the result of fermentation and that comes only after a very “smelly” time of hiddenness. We are not to be drunk or proud of our fermentation process as if this makes us more valuable, but with sober moderation we are to become the best wine in the feast! This is spiritual life at its best. It is the wine of the Passover, where God’s hand passes over us; a place where we become impervious to the attack of the evil one.
If we do not grasp hold of transition and embrace it, we are left a little more vulnerable to attack, and a little less confident of the nearness of God’s hand. We become a little dimmer light, and we lose a little of the salty savor that so spices up and preserves the world.
Few sights are as pitiful as branches that resist transition and are struggling to grow larger rather than to produce more fruit. The only thing worse is to see someone content to be “mash” in the bottom of the colander rather than wine in the glass. These are those who are content with the old wine for it is good enough.
We’ll talk more of the Delight of Transition in the next post.
Blessings,
arch enemy dead eyes see no future ep
John Paul
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When I was younger, I took classes on strawberries in the 4H program. For years after that, I have grown strawberries.
Just like the pruning process you described, with strawberries, you actually pluck the blossoms off the first year around, then if you have patience enough, the second year. When You get to the third year, the first two years had strengthened the plants and the strong plants then you allow them to produce berries. These berries are the best of the best, and the most beautiful and tasty of all. I remember being frustrated when I was younger of having to wait ’so long’ for the berries to be allowed to yield. But when the year came to enjoy the berries, boy was I ever. A local grocery store took a chance with me and my sisters berries even though they had other suppliers, and the results were a call the same week “Yes, we would like every last box you could possibly sell to us, for your berries have sold out on our shelves and other others just sit there. Customers have come back requesting your berries over the others”
And that summer was a summer of delight, and joy, and learning heavenly kingdom princicples. Years later I realize this all the more. WHever I eat fruit, or berries or vegatables and I see the massive amounts of seeds inside just one piece of food, it reminds me of the special waiting process and the amazing abundance that the entire earth was created to habitat. Lack is truly a lie. Abundance is all around.
I remember hearing a story, that I think was told by John Paul..but I dont’ remember the source (so forgive me if its someone else) but they told a story that had a one line prophetic statement which was “There are giants in the lands, but the grapes are worth it.” Whenever I jump out into a faith adventure and feel like I am hitting a wall or a fight, I continue to remember that those giants, those testing times, those pruning situations are so worth going through to get to the grapes.
As with delight, I can tell you, that many in my family are sort of ‘irritated’ when it comes time to go out and pick the berries in the sun over the summer time. But i actually have been excited to pick them (most of the time) and enjoy sitting in the patch, revelling in the delight of GOd, and creation, and the joys of his wonders. I am forever changed by the fields lessons of plenty, and they show me a sheer joy now, knowing that even though times of waiting occur.. whats on the otherside is so joyous.
Bob jones I beleive was the one that said at the beginning of this year that this would be the year that ‘the good is the enemy of the best’ for many people. Everyday when I am making choices and stepping forward into new things I ask myself two questions in accordance with Bob Jones word, and John Pauls Word. I ask:
“is this thing, action or thought good, or is it the best”
and
“Is this how I have done it before, is this a new way of looking at things, is this a new journey, or am I stagnating in old ways?”
and I will tell ya, that by asking myself these questions regularly now through out this year, it has started to come so naturally that when I am out and about, I will see something that looks good to me, but I will hear my heart so “forget it, its not the best”
and then I move on… the best is ahead and even now surrounding, and that is joy joy joy in the ways of God.
blessings
AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!! That’s the sound of my grapes being smashed. They really looked nice on the vine…
We can’t make ourselves into wine, right? All we can do is say yes to God - yes to being made uncomfortable, yes to leaving, yes to the crushing, yes to the smelly time alone (love that metaphor). If I beg for a break or some comfort in the midst of this unpleasantness, have I disqualified myself? Or am I just admitting what He already knows: that I’ve reached the absolute end of myself and have no clue what I’m supposed to do or be.
John Paul, thank you so much for walking us through this. Your words are so timely it amazes me. It’s a nasty undertaking and I’m miserable, but at least I know I have company.
Hello John Paul:
I get the feeling that maybe another name for this blog…should be ‘The New Wine Press’ because it seems that the Lord is turning the coffee into wine…(LOL) Have a nice 4th!
Blessings!
Shirley C.
Selah.
Wow……..that certainly explains alot about the situations in my life right now !!! And good one, Will !!!! Blessings, Michelle
fermenting and soaking, in His presence, i’m either crying or laughing and often wonder..is there anything that could possibly be left to come out, or cut off? and then today, i had a little taste of His rest—ooh la la! is that next??
I would like to share this, written by Don Nori..
In the Holy Place, God breaks Himself down into components man understands.
In the Most Holy Place, man is broken down into components that God can use.
Hmmm…now that you mentioned the delight of transition, its interesting to note that God was not well pleased with the Israelites & their bodies were scattered in the wilderness as a result of this (1 Cor 10:4), isn’t this where many in the church presently are?
Thank you John Paul, it was well worth the wait. My barrel is about to be uncorked, I can feel it. I think David from Louisiana meant ‘Salud!’
Well, I can say that I can really identify with this one.
I can say that I must of gone through this process, but have not yet reached completion. And you come to this place where you feel dissatisfied and you feel that something has to change. And the only thing you can do is cling onto God to bring you into the new. But, yet he has this way of letting you know that there is something more and something new is coming. So, it is just of matter of waiting and trusting God to bring it to pass.
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? Isaiah 43:19
Many Blessings
Thank you for sharing.
grapes and strawberries, Christians often relating their life to plants and fruit and such, I guess its ok since Jesus started it. Not that I don’t agree, but I have found out that its seems that when those times come you can prss into the presence of God whether you feel it or not, and that doesn’t mean I don’t know what a dark night of the soul is,..There is a greater one above botanical lamentations.
I found this prophecy by Marc Dupont on Pruning. Below are parts of it:
“The Lord says that He loves us, and because He loves us He wants us to bear greater fruit. Because He wants us to bear greater fruit He is going to prune us. We are to know that this pruning is not a punishment, but those that He loves He prunes, just as a vine grower prunes not just the unfruitful vines, but especially the fruitful ones that are his favorites. ……………..
Those who I love I prune, and if you will let me I am going to cut you deep within you. But, I promise you where I make cuts there are going to be new branches grafted into you. And these new branches are going to bear a fruit even more delicious than what you have previously known…….”
For the full article/prophecy check out:
http://www.marcdupontministries.org/pruning.html
I’m concerned about the “transition” our nation (U.S.) is going through now. I’ve had dreams about 10 years of hard times and visions of people going on raids of people’s homes, etc. I’m just wondering what you’ve been seeing for our nation? Is an economic crash inevitable or can our prayers avert it?