Overview of: JohnToday's Reading:
John 15:1 – 16:4
"Jesus Teaches about Fruitful Living"
Focus Verses: John 15:5-8
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. 6 If 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. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Insight:
Living in relationship with Jesus is essential to becoming a person who glorifies God. In the same way a branch must be connected to the vine in order to produce fruit, I must live in connection with Christ. If I am abiding in Jesus, my life will bear fruit that looks and acts like Jesus. Loving as Christ has loved is the best evidence that I am abiding in him. Bearing the fruit of Christ's love brings glory to God.
Response and Action:
I will do all I can to abide in Christ. I will look to Jesus for the guidance, the power, the nurture, and the transformation I need to love as he loves. I will be intentional about seeking Christ through prayer, study, obedience, community, worship, and service. I do not want anything to threaten or diminish my connection with Jesus, and so I will put those things aside and ask God to prune away those dead branches that stifle my wellbeing and fruitfulness.
O God, thank you for the fruitful life I am able to live through Christ. Help me to stay connected to Jesus. By the power and grace of his Holy Spirit, lead, teach, transform, shape and strengthen me, that I might delight in your will, and walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Amen.
Old Testament for Today: Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
In Context: Jeremiah 17:1-18
Proverb for Today: Prov. 27:18
"He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored."
Recommended Reading:
Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community
by Philip D. Kenneson
