Read John 15:1-11. Who is the true Vine? Who is the Gardener? Who are the branches? Jesus is the true vine and God the Father is the gardener. We are the branches. This is the second time in the I AM statements that Jesus tells us what we are. The first one was in the Light of the World. Jesus is the light of the world, and so are we (Matthew 5:14). WE are connected to the Vine – Jesus.
Do any of you love gardening? Whether its plants, flowers, or food, do you love doing this? I really don’t enjoy it. In the springtime I get the desire, however, I have to stop and evaluate the whole season. I do not enjoy the summer months. Therefore, I have to stop and think if I start this flower garden will I follow through or will I stop tending to the garden. Most times then not, I will let the flowers die. So I don’t do gardens. I don’t know much about gardens other then they are a lot of work in the hot sun with bugs. I have a few indoor plants that I enjoy, but they require very little of me and I won’t kill them as easily. If you are totally into growing things will love today’s topic. Pruning, abiding, and bearing fruit.
PRUNING – John 15:2 says, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. What happens went he branch bears fruit? What happens if the branch does not bear fruit? How often in our gardens are we pruning off the dead parts for the plant as a whole? What happens when we do this? Once you prune the plant, it begins to thrive once again and grow. This is how it is in our lives spiritually. This also happens even when we bear fruit. If God prunes us even if we are bearing fruit, we will be able to bear more fruit then before. Why do you think Jesus says that even if branches are bearing fruit they must be pruned? How does God cut off or prune in our lives today? What are the results?
ABIDING – John 15:4 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. Abide comes from the Greek word, meno which means: to stay, abide, remain, wait. Do you struggle with this word? It can be hard to wait, remain, or to stay. Does this word seem the opposite of productivity? However, in this situation, it is productive. We are connecting to God when we are abiding in Him. How do we abide in God? Making a connection with God is a deeply personal and uniquely individual process. If we want to know God, we have to abide in Him. How do we abide in Him?
We abide in God by following His instructions, His heart, and His example. This goes so much deeper than the routine of reading the bible, praying remotely, and attending church. Don’t’ get me wrong; Yes, we do need to do these things. Reading the Bible teaches God’s instructions and who he is. When we pray, we need to make it a conversation between God and you, take time to sit still and listen for God to speak to you. Attending church, helps us to know more about God. God tells us to help one another. The church is so important in our growth in God.
BEARING FRUIT – John 15:5 says, “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. We bear fruit when we stay connecting to the vine. It is that simple. There is no other way to bear fruit. It is our one job – stay connected. If you get worried that you are not enough in any way in your life, stay connected to Jesus. It is this simple and it is this hard. How well do you stay connected? How well do you stay connected when life gets really busy? How well do you stay connected when life becomes chaos? IT is so HARD. But here’s the thing, we cant’ bear fruit on our own, we have to rely on Jesus. He is the only way. When we get off course, we have to stop and go back to our source. It is the key to being fruitful.
Are you willing to let the gardener prune you so you can bear fruit? Are you willing to abide in Him in this process?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being our gardener. I pray that you will prune our lives so that we can bear fruit for your glory. I pray that we will abide in you and stay connected.
In Jesus Name
Amen
