“Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
John 15:4-5 AMPC
Grace Perspective:
To abide means to remain steadfast. In this verse, Jesus reminds us that we can choose to stay close to Him, trusting Him to sustain us, provide for us, and shelter us, as a vine does to the fruit it produces. To produce good fruit, we must remain close to the source of life, Jesus Christ.
Jesus wants us to be fruitful and to share the truth of who He is with those around us. We are saved by grace to do good works and to be fruitful. (See Ephesians 2:10) However, the quality of fruit we produce is directly related to how close we are to the vine, Jesus. Spending time getting to know Christ and drawing close to Him through reading the Bible helps strengthen the fruit the Lord wants to develop in us.
Each day we have a choice to stay close to the Vine so we produce the sweet fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentles, and self-control. (See Galatians 5:22-23) Or we can try to produce fruit on our own, which usually only brings small, dry, and bitter fruit.
Jesus invites us to graciously abide with Him so that He can produce good fruit for us to share with others. Abiding in Christ is the only way to see sweet fruit sprout and grow in our hearts so those around us can enjoy His goodness.
A Touch of Grace:
What does it look like for you to abide in Christ?
What fruit do you see growing as a result of abiding with Christ?
Grace Application:
Abiding, staying close to the One who desires to give us all we need to bear good fruit. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? However, staying attached to the vine can be a struggle, and I sometimes find myself shriveled up and fruitless. How about you?
Life is so busy with work, caring for family, maintaining close relationships with my children and friends, and keeping up with a home. So many days, it feels like my head hits the pillow and boom! It’s time to wake up and start all over. I often open my eyes and think, “How am I going to make it through the day?”
The answer is by choosing to spend time with Christ. Making Him the priority daily is how I find the strength to do the next thing. Genuinely connecting to the Lord by spending time in the Bible and prayer is the only way I survive each day.
The demands in life are high, but that doesn’t surprise God. He desires for all who are in Christ Jesus to abide in Him. Choosing to remain in Him gives us what we need to produce the fruit of love to pour out to those around us. The fruit of joy in Him, which gives us strength. The fruit of peace that guards our hearts and minds in Him. The fruit of patience when we want to be impatient with others. The fruit of kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control reflects Christ’s character within us. Choosing to abide in Christ, being dependent on Him, will yield fruit that will remain for all eternity.
Prayer:
Gracious Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus, thankful that You invite me to abide in You. Jesus, You are the vine, and I am a branch. Forgive me, Lord, when I choose not to remain close to You and become brittle and fruitless. Father, grow in me a heart that remains attached to You so that I bear abundant fruit for You. In the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, Amen.