Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches

Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches

1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.5 "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.6 "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.7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

    John 15:1-11 (NASB)

O -  Context is always important.   It is hard to tell if Jesus is telling His disciples these words while still in the upper room during the last supper, or if he is already on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified.  Either way it is definitely intended to reach His disciples to give them words that would guide them when He is separated from them in body.   He lays out the principles of essentially being able to bare the kind of fruit Jesus did during His ministry on earth.   They would need to go on to do greater things and bare much fruit in order to reach the world with the Gospel.   In order to do that they would need to abide in Jesus, as He would live in them, and together they would bare the kind of fruit that would/does change the world.  The principles are clear - stick with Jesus and you will bare fruit;  if you bare fruit the Father will continually prune you in order rid you of the unproductive part of your life that is holding you back, so that you may produce even more fruit each season.

A -  The application for me is to follow the principle/truth of the vine.   Recognize that I must abide - (webster defines abide as - to endure without yielding ; withstand  ; to bear patiently) in Christ as He lives in me and from this relationship I can/will/do bare fruit.   I am to be aware of how the Father is pruning me of some area's of my life that are less productive so that I may bare more fruit in the the future.  


P - Dear heavenly  Father thank you for today's devotion, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would prune from me that which is not fruitful, give me the wisdom and understanding to know to let go of the those things which you are pruning from my life.   Jesus, I abide in you, and you are in me, and I look forward to being a part of your team to reach the world.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.