Rightside Down

John 15:5-8

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. (John 15:8)

IMAGINE A DEEPLY ROOTED TREE firmly planted in the ground—and then a hand from heaven reaching down, grabbing the trunk, pulling the tree and its roots out of the ground, turning it upside down, and planting it firmly in heaven. From there, the tree’s roots grow upward and its fruit hangs down, available to all who will take of it. The transition process may have been quite traumatic, but the result is good. Earth is fed by a tree rooted in heaven.

That’s a picture of what God does with his people if we will let him. The process can be extremely disorienting; not many people enjoy having their roots ripped out of this world. But the result is a truer, deeper orientation. As we have seen, Scripture tells us we are to be rooted and grounded in the love of God (Ephesians 3:17); that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20); that we are seated there with Christ (Ephesians 2:6); and that we are branches of the true vine, Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of the Father (John 15:1-5; Ephesians 2:6). Our position is secure. All that remains is for us to recognize it and live from it.

This Kingdom citizenship is more than a psychological trick or a matter of semantics. It is not a matter of talking yourself into something that isn’t true. No, it is really an issue of convincing yourself of what God already says of you—that you are one with Christ (John 15:4; 17:21) and risen with him (Romans 6:5; Colossians 3:1; Galatians 2:20). It falls in the category of considering yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ (Romans 6), not because you want it to be true but because it is. And it makes the difference between feeling burned out and being energized as you give the fruit of heaven to people around you. Apart from him, you can do nothing of eternal value. With him? Not even the sky is the limit.

{Jesus, you are my life, and you are unlimited. Give me the faith to see where I am truly rooted. Bear immeasurable fruit in me and through me. Fill me with the power and presence of eternal realities. Amen.