Abiding in Christ - January 11 Readings: John 15:1-17

We are going to "enter the year with praise." Our January readings and devotionals will all focus on the goodness and grace of God. Get a journal or notebook to write down your thoughts every day. Our passages are shorter - please don't rush through them. Take time to meditate and consider why God is worthy of your praise.

Enter 2020 with the praise of God on your lips!

Today's Praise Passage:  John 15:1-17

“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. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.
 9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
 11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
 12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
 17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

Through the Bible Reading: Genesis 23-24, Matthew 8:18–34, Psalm 7:11–17, Proverbs2:1-5

Some of our readers want a little more "meaty" devotional, so I am including a link to the through Through the Bible in One Year readings we did last year. 

Devotional: Abiding in Christ 

I love Christmas trees. 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 reason for this is obvious. It has been cut. The roots are severed. It looks good for a while, but severed from its roots, the process of death has begun - it cannot survive without connections to the root.

Jesus used a similar illustration like this in John 15, 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 Christlike 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:

Meditate on this passage and write down:

1. The character qualities of God for which you can praise him. 

2. The gracious acts of God for which you can give thanks to him. 

Are you attached properly to the source of life, to Jesus Christ?
Give thanks for the life that flowly freely from him.