John 15
Read John Chapter 15 :: Here
Devotional ::
“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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and 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 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
John 15:1–9 ESV
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Have you ever tried to be a good Christian without Jesus?
The question seems a little absurd right? The reality is, we can be guilty of doing just that. Trying to be godly and do godly things without God himself. If you’ve ever been guilty of attempting such a feat, and if you’re honest with yourself, you’d be quick to acknowledge that it's a pretty difficult task.
Most days we all wake up with some version of the same goal - do all the “right things”, or do all the things the “right way”. We all try to be a good parent, be a good spouse, be a good employee or employer, be a good friend, take care of all the running around, and to-d0-lists, all while trying our best to walk in love and not embarrass the name of Jesus! What a tall order.
And at the end of the day, when we’re taking mental inventory of the wins and losses and realize there’s more of the latter, for all our effort and grinding, we realize it’s another day that we weren’t quite good enough - we should ask ourselves this question. How much of my day did I attempt on my own and how much did I give to Jesus?
Jesus lays this out so very simply for us in vs. 5 of chapter 15. Don’t try to do any of your day without Me! “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing”.
Too often we try to take aim at the target, forgetting that our own sight can’t be trusted. That’s why we’re to go to Jesus and ask Him and His word to be a light, THE light to our eyes, and the lamp unto our feet. Without it, we can have all the best intentions in the world - in the end, we won’t be able to produce good fruit.
Everything we do should be WITHIN Jesus.
We should be inviting him into our jobs, friendships, meetings, struggles, errands, cars, fears, classes, relationships, temptations, cities, investments, parenting, etc. Here’s a strong challenge so let me preface it with this - I love you and I think you’re stellar. Ready?
How about we refuse to complain about anything that we’ve not invited the Lord, Jesus Christ, to be a part of?
Tough words, I know. But remember, Jesus loves you and knows what’s best for you. He offers rest and life and everything that you need can be found in Him. Will you abide today?
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Reflect ::
•What areas of your life have not been attached to the vine like you know they should be? What are ways you can bring them into the vine?
•In verse 2, Jesus speaks of pruning the branches that have produced fruit in an effort that they may produce even more fruit. Where have you seen this pruning in your life? Is Jesus asking you to prune anything presently?
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Prayer ::
Jesus, I invite you into my day and into this present moment. I want to abide in you. I want to do everything as unto you. Help me keep you at the forefront and may everything that I do today from the biggest to the least be unto you.
{In your own words, spend a couple of minutes asking the Holy Spirit to come into some specific areas of your life that have up until now been off limits.}
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