Apphia
John 15:16
You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I Am], He may give it to you.
~The Holy Bible (AMP)~
Sita, my given name, has Hindi roots and is the name of the Hindu goddess of the harvest. It bears only cultural significance for me in that it reflects my Indian heritage.
Several of my friends have 'names' that God has given to them and I have often wished for one.
As this new year 2014 approached, I wondered what theme it would hold. This past year, 2013, has been a year of losses and grief. A year of isolation. A year of numbness. A year of emptiness. A year of being left out of family celebrations. Bereft of community. A year of being left out. As I think of Scripture, I think the phrase "laid to waste" reflects how I saw this season.
BUT GOD...
No such thing as waste matter in God's soil.
In recent times I discovered a writer in a similar season who has the ability to rip words from my soul. Yet God called her in the middle of that season to write, not isolate. And I for one am glad she obeyed. Her season of affliction became an orchard bearing fruit. [Please visit her blog if you can, you won't be disappointed. Her name is Bonnie Gray. Please click on her blog, Faith Barista.]
And then, God nudged me to listen to a speaker who has blessed me immensely with his anointed preaching. His name is Steve Furtick. His last series, Times and Seasons, focuses on recognizing God in all the seasons of your life.
In this my winter, He is preparing me to receive, pruning me to remain, and proving me to reveal Him.
And as I started my Bible Reading plan for 2014, I was drawn to the fact that God's first command to man was, "Be fruitful..." (27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful...~Genesis 1:27-28a~(AMP) )
Hence, this post.
My first step of obedience.
My offering to Him.
I desire to be like Joseph, who named his son according to God's work in his life, "Ephraim", meaning 'fruitful in the land of my affliction.'
I have looked at names meaning 'fruitful' and only just realized that my present name is associated with fruitfulness--harvest. That is a timely recognition.
I find myself drawn to the name "Apphia":
Apphia
Scripture Reference—Philemon 1:2
Name Meaning—That which is fruitful
This believer, belonging to Colossae, the ancient Phrygian city now a part of Turkey, is spoken of as our “dearly beloved” and “our sister” (rv, margin). It is likely that she lived out the significance of her name by being a fruitful branch of the Vine. Apphia is believed to have been the wife of Philemon and either the mother or sister of Archippus who was evidently a close member of the family.
And so, I begin this year to 'see' God in my 'land of affliction', and to share the process of 'remaining' in the pruning, so that God is allowed to prove Himself and reveal His glory through me.
May I be Apphia, a fruitful branch of the Vine.
(Linking up with Faith Barista for JamWithMe Thursdays) 
Chorus:
I am the vine
You are the branches
And if you remain in me
Fruit will abound
Abundant in measure
Come, children, taste and see
Apart from the vine
A branch bears no fruit
For Christ is the source of all life
And all He demands
As we keep His commands
Is to faithfully cling to the vine
Chorus
Service is never the root of devotion
It must grow as the fruit
Of a life that remains in the vine
Come drink your fill of new wine
Come drink your fill of new wine
Chorus
Apart from the vine
A branch bears no fruit
For Christ is the source of all life
And all he demands
As we keep His commands
Is to faithfully cling to the vine
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5 comments:
Sita, I am so glad to have found you through Bonnie's place today. What a powerful message and word. I so appreciate your thoughts and they do minister...Nice meeting you!
Hi Sita, I am trying a second time with comment- hope this gets through. I was blessed by your post, thoughts and your One Word. I popped over from Bonnie's as the image you shared caught my eye. Your name, by the way is so beautiful! Well, thanks for sharing your heart- it ministered to me...
Dawn, thank you for dropping by and leaving me some heavenly 'dew'. (Comments are only published after I approve to avoid spam.) I do appreciate your kind words. God bless you.
Hi Sita!
What a lovely post! Sorry that last year wasn't a good one, but it's true, there is no waste matter with God, He works all things for our good!
I love this: "May I be Apphia, a fruitful branch of the Vine."
I believe as you step out and obey Him, he will lead along the path of much fruitfulness :)
I will definitely visit your blog again, and would love to see how this year turns out for you. Thanks for saying HI :)
Thank you, Kadi. Inside you lies that bold heart for the Lord. May you be like Daniel of the Bible, living out His plan for you fearlessly.
Blessings, Sita
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