Day Twenty-Four: Bear Fruit That Lasts

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you-" John 15:16
 
I have often said I think that when we get to heaven, we will not only be greeted by loved ones from our life, but also people on whom we have had a significant impact here on earth. As a writer, I may never know the level of impact i have had on people, since it is impossible for me to know who had read and been touched by my writing. Even more so, I have often wondered if we will find out why God ordained for us to be in different places at different times. For example, why did my new neighbor pass by my home at the exact moment my family and I were out for a walk, allowing us to strike up a conversation. Why did I hold the door for that person on that random Saturday when I went to the store to pick up a few things? Was that all random, or did God appoint me to be at that particular place to act as His mouthpiece for the Gospel?
 
That's what the apostle John meant here when he talked about bearing fruit that will last. While we may never know the extent of our impact here on earth, the fruit we choose to cultivate in other's lives through discipleship lives on in each person who benefits from that person's actions as a disciple.  It is easy to think that our actions don't matter, that that encouraging word we spoke into someone's life or that random act of kindness to that stranger means nothing in the grand scheme of life. But John and I want to encourage you that what you do matters. Your life is not random. Rather, it is an extension of the Kingdom. Everything you do ushers in the Kingdom and you will allow yourself to bear the true fruit that lasts.
 
What kind of work are you doing to bear fruit that lasts?