Jesus is the Vine, We are the Branches
Remain in me, as I also 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.
John 15:4
Just as the vine brings life to the branches, Jesus through the Holy Spirit brings life to us. To bear fruit is to reveal the fruit of the Spirit to the world, guided by the Spirit. To bear fruit we must remain in the vine which means we remain in Christ.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit is love, and the remaining fruit is how we show love. We remain in Christ by depending on him and trusting him to guide us through the divine life he has for us. When God’s love fills our heart we are changed forever, and we fully depend on Christ. We realize the reason we exist is fulfill our divine calling to reflect Christ to lost souls.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace (Acts 20:23-24). This is the attitude that comes from a heart filled with God’s love, an attitude that loves the Lord with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is an attitude that lives to serve the Lord, following the Holy Spirit to bring the good news of God’s grace to the world. What can be more important for our self and for others than our eternal life in Heaven?
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). When the branch remains connected to the vine through the Spirit, Christ with his infinite love sets us free. It is a freedom for our soul that the world cannot take away, a freedom that is divine that we can feel with God’s love, peace, joy, and faith knowing he is bringing us home to be with him. Fear and worry virtually disappears because we are forever one with Christ and we are in his family.
Today seek to remain connected to Christ by following the Spirit. Seek to commune with the Lord, asking for his guidance in your words and actions. If we invite the Lord into the moments of our life, with a dependent heart, he is there speaking to the Spirit bringing his perfect love and wisdom into our moment.
Prayer: Today thank the Lord for his perfect love for you, his willingness to guide you through every situation in life, and his desire to fill your heart with his blessings. Thank him for molding you to be Christ-like in mind and heart, and his infinite love revealed in his desire to spend eternity with you in heaven. Lord I can only show my love and thanks by surrendering my life into your divine loving hands. In Jesus name, Amen