Root Examination (Poem)

If you are abiding and there's little or no fruit,

I encourage you, Friend, examine your spiritual roots.

Allow the Holy Spirit to direct this examination,

To reveal if there may be any worldly contamination

That may be clogging spiritual veins and arteries;

Things like worrying about winning some big lotteries.

Is it worry about paying all those lingering bills?

Or cumulative effects of all those shots 'n pills?

Such things prevent the sap of God's Word and Grace

From flowing, keeping you from VICTORY in life's race.

The Spirit's fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

Gentleness, self-control, faithfulness and goodness.

Against such things there is no law to bring a charge,

Or limit how much you do, have or pay as surcharge.

This fruit we bear as we abide in our Vine,

Allowing His Word our heart's desires to align.

If truth is confirmed by 2 - 3 witnesses, so routine,

Then see how often "abide" appears in John 15!

Since Jesus spoke of it so boldly, as savant,

Abiding must be something critically important.

Life's circumstances act like a big magnifying glass,

Checking the amount and kind of fruit we amass.

We can lie there, being inspected and re-inspected,

Or let this remind us that we are well CONNECTED -- 

Connected to The Vine, with Grace power as an Abider,

To crush circumstances into powdered fertilizer.

'Circumstantial fertilizer' generously applied to your roots

Will help you produce more and much better fruit!

But consider how stinky fertilizer sometimes smells,

And don't allow the stink drive you ... 

...from where your Glory dwells!