Daily Bread 2010 - John 15
Daily Bread 2010 – John 15
The Vine and the Branches
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He 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. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Okay I know I say this a lot, but this is truly one of my favorite passages. At a first glance it may seem a little simple or obvious, but as you further reflect you will find much to contemplate and emulate. This is probably one of the clearest pictures of what a disciple of Jesus looks like and how a disciple can bear fruit that will last.
It all comes down to the fact that we cannot bear fruit and show ourselves to be His disciples, unless we “abide” or “remain” in Him. A humbling verse which is also the most quoted biblical verse in the Lutheran Confessions is John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Simple but true. Just as s branch can’t “eke” out fruit, we cannot bear spiritual fruit (the only fruit that does not die and wither) unless we are intimately connected to God the Father through His Son Jesus.
And we also see this is an ongoing process. Just as farmers must continue to cut back the overgrown branches, God our true Gardener must continually prune us for us to reach our maximum fruit bearing potential. What does this mean? Sometimes we need to step down or be out of ministry, or at the least cut back at times, to be replenished with the source of our Power, the Vine, Jesus! Also being overgrown might mean some things might creep into our lives that sap the energy or cut off spiritual power from flowing through us.
Sometimes our lives become filled with all kinds of stuff that is not leading to bearing fruit that will last and it needs to be cut out, or at least pruned back. How would you describe your spiritual condition lately? Bearing lots of fruit? Needing some serious pruning? Growing closer to the Vine all the time? Totally disconnect need to be joined back to the Vine? We all go through phases of these conditions in our lives, but just like the good farmer recognizes and takes care of the Vine and the Branches, we must allow God to prune us back when need and stay close to the Vine.
Jesus we desire to abide in you so we can bear fruit that will last. Prune us where we need to be pruning so we can grow to maximum fruit bearing potential. May the world see we are your disciples by the fruit that comes through Your presence in our lives. In Your name, Amen.
The Vine and the Branches
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He 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. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Okay I know I say this a lot, but this is truly one of my favorite passages. At a first glance it may seem a little simple or obvious, but as you further reflect you will find much to contemplate and emulate. This is probably one of the clearest pictures of what a disciple of Jesus looks like and how a disciple can bear fruit that will last.
It all comes down to the fact that we cannot bear fruit and show ourselves to be His disciples, unless we “abide” or “remain” in Him. A humbling verse which is also the most quoted biblical verse in the Lutheran Confessions is John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Simple but true. Just as s branch can’t “eke” out fruit, we cannot bear spiritual fruit (the only fruit that does not die and wither) unless we are intimately connected to God the Father through His Son Jesus.
And we also see this is an ongoing process. Just as farmers must continue to cut back the overgrown branches, God our true Gardener must continually prune us for us to reach our maximum fruit bearing potential. What does this mean? Sometimes we need to step down or be out of ministry, or at the least cut back at times, to be replenished with the source of our Power, the Vine, Jesus! Also being overgrown might mean some things might creep into our lives that sap the energy or cut off spiritual power from flowing through us.
Sometimes our lives become filled with all kinds of stuff that is not leading to bearing fruit that will last and it needs to be cut out, or at least pruned back. How would you describe your spiritual condition lately? Bearing lots of fruit? Needing some serious pruning? Growing closer to the Vine all the time? Totally disconnect need to be joined back to the Vine? We all go through phases of these conditions in our lives, but just like the good farmer recognizes and takes care of the Vine and the Branches, we must allow God to prune us back when need and stay close to the Vine.
Jesus we desire to abide in you so we can bear fruit that will last. Prune us where we need to be pruning so we can grow to maximum fruit bearing potential. May the world see we are your disciples by the fruit that comes through Your presence in our lives. In Your name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment