“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NASB
I am a branch connected to Christ, and the Holy Spirit flows through me like sap, energizing me to produce fruit. As a branch, I am not the root; I am completely dependent upon Christ to draw strength. All water and nutrients come through the roots, so if I do not allow the Holy Spirit to control me and pump me with fresh nutrients each day from His Word, I will shrivel up and die. Jesus says, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” (John 15:6) What I’m doing with my life is worthless if I am not connected to the Vine.
The only reason I am allowed to share in the life of the Vine is to produce fruit.
Bearing fruit (glorifying God in our actions, being sanctified, and becoming more like Christ) is what we’re saved for. Jesus says: “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” If we are true disciples we will bear fruit. (James 2:17)
You bear fruit not for yourself, but for your owner. The Father owns the vine and prunes the branches to produce more fruit. Anything that is not needful for fruit-bearing must be lopped off. Better fruit results when the vine is tended to by the owner. The branch is more beautiful, fruitful, and healthy.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7) We have incredible power for answered prayer if our will is yielded to God, because He grants us the desires of our hearts. “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) That’s because your will and God’s will are the same. It’s aligning your heart to God’s heart. And then you are one. This is why your prayers are answered. God changes your desire and then grants you that desire because you yielded.
“The vine provides the sap, the life, and the strength. The branch waits, rests, receives, and bears the fruit.” -Andrew Murray in The True Vine: Meditations
“Abiding fully means praying much,” says Andrew Murray. We will care about the souls of others and be given up to the work of God when we are abiding. As a result, we will be people of prayer.
Andrew Murray goes on to say: “The branch is not only one with the vine, but with all its other branches.” The sap running through the vine is the love of God. When you are connected, you will abide in that love. People that do not love do not know God. God is love. The biggest difference in the life of a believer after salvation is the ability to love. Do not hate your brother.
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11) Andrew Murray says: “As long as our joy is not full, it is a sign that we do not yet know our heavenly vine correctly.”
Abiding in the Vine will give you power in prayer as well as incredible joy, and you will bear fruit that is pleasing to the Father.
Tags: Christian Living, prayer
It’s so important that we stay close to God every day!
It’s impossible to do anything of value without Christ empowering you to do it.
This is such a great reminder that we are all part of Christ’s body and need to be in unity with the body.
Staying yielded to Christ is essential to bearing fruit.
I love all of this about bearing fruit and abiding in the vine. God is so good to tend to us like this.
Yes, God is good!
Do we want to produce maybe a grape by our own efforts or be a part of the whole vine producing much fruit?
Definitely a part of the whole vine!
Being connected to Jesus is so important. Thank you for this reminder. It’s because of Christ alone that we bear fruit.
Yes, being connected to Jesus is everything!
We must stay connected to Christ through prayer. Not doing so means we start working from our own desires and strength, which is never what God intended us to do.
When we work in our own strength, we do unnecessary things and burn out.