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.
Thought for Today
Jesus compares the Christian life to that of a vine and branches. The vine feeds nutrients to the branches so that they can live and be productive. The vine itself does no other work. It is up to the branches to take the energy and nutrients and do something productive with them. This is a beautiful metaphor for the church. Jesus feeds us His love, grace, strength, and Spirit. What we do with all of this is up to each of us. We can produce wonderful fruit for His pleasure or clusters of leaves for ourselves. The vine does not determine this. It is also important to note that the size of the connection between the vine and the branch determines how much of the nutrients get into the branch. We will be exploring these realities this week, and in the weeks to come consider how we can increase our connection with Christ in order to bear all the fruit we can for His glory.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, show me how to become all You want me to be and give me the strength to grow. Amen
Devotional Quote
“We must continually abide in the vine, so that we can keep bearing lasting fruits” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
Quote of the Day
Take away love and our earth is a tomb. — Robert Browning
Staying Connected to Jesus 1
John 15:5
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.
Thought for Today
Jesus compares the Christian life to that of a vine and branches. The vine feeds nutrients to the branches so that they can live and be productive. The vine itself does no other work. It is up to the branches to take the energy and nutrients and do something productive with them. This is a beautiful metaphor for the church. Jesus feeds us His love, grace, strength, and Spirit. What we do with all of this is up to each of us. We can produce wonderful fruit for His pleasure or clusters of leaves for ourselves. The vine does not determine this. It is also important to note that the size of the connection between the vine and the branch determines how much of the nutrients get into the branch. We will be exploring these realities this week, and in the weeks to come consider how we can increase our connection with Christ in order to bear all the fruit we can for His glory.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, show me how to become all You want me to be and give me the strength to grow. Amen
Devotional Quote
“We must continually abide in the vine, so that we can keep bearing lasting fruits” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
Quote of the Day
Take away love and our earth is a tomb. — Robert Browning