“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:5-8 ESV)
Jesus is the vine. I am the branch. I draw my sustenance from Him. I must remain in Him by trusting Him and walking with Him or I wither and die. Making my home in Him (abiding in Him) I grow strong and produce fruit. Apart from Him, I can do nothing.
Jesus is the vine. I am the branch. The way I abide in Him is to have Him abide in me. It is to open my heart to His presence and welcome His Holy Spirit to take up residence on the throne of my heart and rule there as Lord and King. It is to deny myself, take up my cross and lay down my life for Him, just as He laid down His life for me. I abide in Jesus by soaking my mind and heart in His Word, the scriptures. I abide in the Lord by the openness and depth of my prayer life.
Jesus is the vine. I am the branch. Just as the sap flows from the vine to the branches, His holy love flows from Him to my heart, healing my own soul and making every motive the one great motive - to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others with His holy love. Loving Him passionately and loving others sacrificially is the key to bearing the fruit He longs to produce in my life. As the Holy Spirit resides in me and as I listen to His quiet voice I am compelled to treat others with respect and kindness and love.
Jesus is the vine. I am the branch. He grows the essence of Himself into my character. The fruit of the Spirit is "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23) As He grows this fruit into my heart, my thoughts and words and deeds reflect Him in all I say and do. It is not that I try harder to be kind or good or faithful or loving. It is that Jesus is kind and good and faithful and loving through my life. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)
Jesus is the vine. I am the branch. I have been bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). The price was the laying down of His life on the Cross for my redemption. I have been saved from sin and death and delivered to new life now and eternal life when this earthly existence ends. It's not about me. It's about Jesus. I live my life for Him gladly and thankfully. And I long to produce the Kingdom fruit that pleases and honors Him.
Jesus is the vine, I am the branch. Besides the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my character, Jesus is looking for the fruit of reproduction. Living things reproduce. We plant fruits and vegetables in our garden to grow those fruits and vegetables, not just to look at them or smell their fragrance. As a follower of Jesus Christ, my life is under missional orders to be part of making disciples. It can never be enough to know I am redeemed and attend church and worship God without seeking to bring others to Him. Living for Jesus matters to me, and it matters desperately to those who are far from Him if they are ever going to come to Him.
Jesus is the vine, I am the branch. I am convinced the two practices that keep me connected to Him and growing ever deeper in my faith are my own personal, consistent, daily quiet time of reading Scripture and praying, and participating in my weekly pastor's circle to give and receive encouragement and support with a group of fellow travelers. There is no substitute for spending time with Jesus every day. And iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), which means believers strengthen one another as we grow deeper in Christ together. As we watch over one another in love we remain connected to Christ and connected to one another. These two vital strategies, daily quiet time and participation in an accountability group, make abiding in Christ and producing fruit for Him the kind of reality in our lives He longs for.
Abiding in Him, I am growing deeper in faith. And growing deeper in faith, I am producing the fruit of His Kingdom. How about you?
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