SCRIPTURE: Remain 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. 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(John 15:4-5, NIV) Observations: 1. Jesus is the vine. 2. We are the branches. 3. Remain in is used five times in these verses. 4. bear fruit is used three times. Interpretations: There is a direct connection here between the vine, branches, and fruit. Jesus reaches people where they are at using examples they can relate to. In this case, Jesus uses the example of gardening as people would be familiar with words like vine, branches, fruit, and gardener. (v.1). Then, Jesus makes the example more concrete by telling others that He is the true Vine, we are the branches, his Father is the gardener, and bearing fruit is a result of the branches being rooted in the Vine. Jesus makes the point that as long as the branches remain in the Vine, there is fruit to look forward too but once the branches do not have their rooting in the Vine, branches cannot bear fruit. When words or phrases are repeated often it is to make a point or put an emphasis on the importance of the particular concept. In this case the significance of remain in and bear fruit. Bearing fruit and remaining in go hand in hand. Interpretation/Application: Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. Jesus wants us to remain in Him continually and He wants to remain in us. Jesus has a purpose for asking us to remain in Him so that we can bear much fruit. The purpose of a vine is to nurture the branches and give it nutrients so the branches can start bearing fruit. Jesus wants to nurture each one of us and give us His nutrients for a healthy spiritual life that will bear much fruit and also give us a healthy emotional life. This cannot happen unless we take the initiative to remain in Jesus and be rooted in Him. Remaining in him and bearing fruit are essential components that Jesus emphasizes throughout chapter 15. We cannot live a victorious life when we decide what is right for us rather than allowing the Lord Jesus to work in us and through us. Jesus loves you so much and wants you to bear fruit. He wants to remain in you. This is a radical concept when we realize the Creator of the Universe wanting to continually be with His creation. We are his creation and He wants us to grow. He offers Himself to us to help us grow. May you all grow in the Lord as you are rooted in Him. Whatever you are facing right now, please dont face it alone. The Lord wants to be there for you and lend His helping hand to help you through. This does not mean that things will instantly get better. You do not see a fruit on a tree immediately but as the nutrients work inside, fruit is shown on the outside. In the same way, our Lord will work with us on the inside and eventually fruit will show on the outside. Look to the Lord who wants to be there for you always rather than the pain you maybe facing. In an individualistic society, it is easy sometimes to be a lone ranger but it sure does not help us in our daily walk because the Lord wants us to remain in Him and allow Him to work in our lives. Apply the principle below as you allow the Lord Jesus to work in your life: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:6-8) Valiantly Immanuel Nurtures Enthusiastically! (V.I.N.E) Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus thank you so much for being there for us. Thank you for being the Vine and we are the branches that receive our nutrients from you as we are rooted in you Lord. These days are hectic Lord with so much going on but we do not want to lose sight of you. Forgive us Lord when we make anything a higher priority than seeking to honor you and glorify you with all of our life. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. We confess we have sinned and we need you to forgive us and cleanse us from all our iniquities. Thank you so much Lord. Thank you Lord we can bear fruit when we remain in you. Thank you Lord for remaining in us. We give our lives to thee and ask thee to work inside of us. Thank you so much Jesus! Thank you for being our Lord and Savior. You hear our prayers when we turn to you and answer us. Thank you Jesus! In Your Name We Pray Jesus! Amen! If you want to give your life to the Lord and make Him Lord of your life, please dont wait. You can ask Him into your life right now. A Christians road in life is not easy nor peachy but it is worth it. Belonging to the One who created you and loves you with unconditional love is the one you need to belong too. No matter what you have done or where you have been, the Lord reaches out to you with His loving arms of love. If you have been a Christian and feel like you have gone away from the Lord, you can come back to Him and rededicate your life to Him. He will take you in and love you with unconditional love. Do not let guilt stop you from coming to the Lord. He loves you so much and cares for you! Come, Come to the Lord! Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I do not know everything I need to know about you. But, I heard that you love me so much and you are the Light. You said if I come to you, I will not stay in darkness. I come to you Lord as I am with all my baggage. I ask you to take it all from me and give me a new beginning. I know all the sins in my life have affected me and I need you now. I am willing to give my life to you and ask you for forgiveness. Please forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. Please make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I choose to live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. There are certain habitual sins in my life that you alone can help me overcome and I rely upon you. Thank you Jesus. I thank you that you want to be my Lord and Personal Savior. Please be in control of my life. I thank you when you forgive me, you give me a new clean slate and I can have a new beginning. I confess you as my Lord and Personal Savior and believe in my heart that you died for me and rose again to give me eternal life that I can one day spend eternity with you forever. Thank you Jesus! Thank you, you have heard my prayer and answered me. I belong to you and you will take care of me. Thank you Jesus! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen! You may have felt something, you may have not, but the important thing to know is that Jesus Christ is in your life! Dont just go by feelings. If you have prayed this prayer and meant it genuinely in your heart, you made one of the most important decisions in your life. Please let me know as I would like to send you a free booklet or give it to you in person, to help you in your daily walk with the Lord. I have read this booklet more than 20 times. Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426 This is my work and I can do it only because Christs mighty energy is at work within me. (Colossians 1:29, TLB)..... The entire devotional with previous devotionals can be found online at pittsburghstandard/MARCH2014/EXPRESSIONS/DEVOTIONALS/121598VINE.htm
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 15:01:43 +0000
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