Abiding in Christ - When Your World Explodes – August 10 Readings: John 15:1-5

John 14-16: When Your World Explodes

Jesus knew, the night before his death, that the disciples' world was about to be blown to pieces. He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. They'd committed themselves to Jesus and he would be gone. In this powerful message, Jesus prepared the disciples to live in peace and spiritual power when the world around them was falling apart.

We will take the next three weeks delving into this passage.

Today's Reading: John 15:1-5     

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

Through the Bible Readings: Job 31-32, Romans 2, Psalm 92:4–10, Proverbs20:1–3

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:     

I love Christmas trees. A couple of years ago I struggled through the Christmas season because we were traveling and decided not to get a tree! Christmas without a tree? The house was so bland. Decorating the tree, packing on the lights and ornaments, is one of my favorite parts of the season.

But the trees we get have a problem. They have been severed from the roots. They are nice and green when we get them, but as the weeks go on they begin to turn brown and brittle, and the needles begin to fall to the ground. The process of death has already begun. The tree cannot survive without connections to the root.

Jesus used an illustration like this, except that he used a vine and its branches. A branch that is attached to the vine will bear fruit and produce grapes. But if the branch is not attached to the vine there will be no fruit and no life - like my Christmas tree.

Jesus is life and life flows from him. When we are properly abiding in Jesus Christ his life will flow through us and we will see the fruit of Christ produced in our lives and through us in this world. But, as Jesus made clear in John 15:5,

"...apart from me you can do nothing."

It is a truth we all too often forget as we try to do the best we can for God, relying on our own strength, power, and resources. It is the power of Jesus through us that produces Christ-like fruit in our lives.

So, what does it mean to abide? Of course, it all begins with being born from above, with putting your faith in Christ and receiving his salvation. That connects us with God. But the abiding Jesus spoke of here also includes a daily walk of seeking him (starting here, with the Word and prayer is a great beginning) and walking in him. Relying on and trusting him for all things is also crucial.

But what is most important is that we realize that the measure of the Christian life is not what we do for Christ on our own, but the fruit that he produces in us.

Lord, prune my life and work in me that I might bear much fruit as I abide in Christ and he reproduces his life in me.  

Think and Pray:

Are you remaining deeply connected to Christ, abiding daily in him?