Jesus likens Himself to a vine and teaches us to abide in the vine to have a consistent faith life.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:1-5
Abiding faith produces a fruitful life. When we abide in the vine, there is no lack of nourishment or energy from the vine to the branches. Sometimes, when life gets hard or people hurt us, we have a tendency to distant ourselves from the Lord. That does not help the situation because He wants to sustain us in those difficult times. In those times, we expect God to explain everything to us, but many times God’s comforting presence is upon a believer without giving him/her many answers. Abiding in Him sustains and stabilizes the believer in tough times and the Holy Spirit ministers comfort to the child of God.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Jesus reminds His disciples in John 15 that without Him we can do nothing; Paul tells us in Philippians 4 that we can do all things through Christ. This takes away the pressure that we have to be surrounded with the right circumstances and the right people in order for us to achieve God given goals and be fruitful in our efforts. Jesus speaks about abiding in Him produces a vibrant and fruitful life.
Are there individuals who seemed to block your progress, hinder your vision, or even discourage you from pursuing God’s plan for your lives? It’s time to forgive them. Our power is tied to the vine. If we remain in the vine, God will see to it that His creative and redeeming power is flowing through us and is bringing fruit that lasts.
