“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:5-8 NKJ
At the end of yesterday’s devotion we learned that love is the most important instruction Jesus gives us to follow. We also learned that we can only love ourselves and others when we understand that we love because He first loved us. With that understanding operating in us, love motivates us to think, speak, and act in accordance with God’s Word, which empowers us to become fruit bearing disciples who walk in His will. And the only way to do this is to continually abide IN Christ on a daily basis. We are only the branches of the vine and cannot do anything to nourish ourselves or bear fruit. Only the vine (Jesus) gives the nourishment we need for the branches of our lives to bear fruit.
Our self works of goodwill can’t do it! Our adherence to old Covenant laws can’t do it! Our trying not to sin can’t do it! And our trying to be holy can’t do it! It is ONLY in allowing Jesus Christ to will and work according to His good purpose IN us that can do it! (Philippians 2:13) Apart from Him we can do nothing! This is why it is necessary for us to continually abide IN Him as our source of nourishment. It is important to understand that our flesh is constantly being pulled in a direction that separates us from the vine because the flesh desires to fulfill its own will! But the person who is abiding IN Christ on a daily basis is not drawn away and enticed by his own desires because the intensity of God’s love is so great; he has no desire to be separated from the vine! It doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen, but after awhile you will find it occurring less and less.
Let me tell you there is nothing like the peace that comes when this happens! I used to try so hard to think right thoughts, speak the right words, and have the right actions; only to find myself failing miserably at it. The harder I tried to come against my flesh and its desires, the more I fulfilled them. But when I came to understand that God loved me so much that He sent His One and Only Son to die on the Cross for all my sins and to give me eternal life; I was filled with such an intense gratitude that I never wanted to be separated from the vine again. I wake up each day in such awe of that love that I want to spend time abiding IN Him through the Word, prayer, fellowship, praise, and ministering His love to others!
But what I will tell you is that it is one of the hardest things I have ever done because I know that with my decision to continually abide IN Christ and to allow Him to work in me to produce His fruit in my life; I come under great attack. The enemy and the world hate me and they persecute me for my faith and if you choose to be a fruit bearing disciple IN Christ they will persecute and hate you too. This is why so many people who accept Christ as their Savior never make the decision to become a disciple. But to those of you, who have take heart because Jesus has overcame the world and the rewards for making the choice to be a disciple are more than you could ever think or imagine!
Our loving Savior knew we would be persecuted and hated and He warned us and the disciples of it in John 15:18-20. He said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” But when you have lived the hard life in the world and given all you have to fulfill your flesh, only to be left abandoned and abused; you don’t care if you are persecuted and hated for His name’s sake.
He is the only one who has never left me or forsaken me and when I realized that God loved me so much that He would forsake Jesus at the Cross for my sake, I was willing to be hated and persecuted for His! I was also empowered to spend the rest of my life abiding IN and living for the One who died for me! It is hard sometimes because no one likes to be hated and there are times I have wanted to quit. But when I realize that if I don’t quit more people have an opportunity to be introduced to the One who can save them from death; I am filled with even more passion to continue persevering in my faith!
I am also filled with the love of God that has been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) And as I allow His love to work in me, I am no longer afraid to love others, even those who hate me or persecute me. This enables me to see everyone through the loving eyes of Jesus, instead of my fleshly eyes of judgment, condemnation, or offense. The decision to abide IN Christ daily is what the action of faith is all about and it is what leads us to becoming disciples whose life branches bear much fruit. Have you made the decision to become a fruit bearing disciple IN Christ and are you willing to live for the One who died for you even if it means you will be persecuted and hated? If you haven’t, I want to encourage you to take the step of faith today. Decide to make abiding IN Christ a daily exercise of faith and believe by faith that He will produce a harvest of fruit in your life that is greater than anything you could ever think or imagine!
Prayer: Spend time praying for the people in the body of Christ who have not accepted the call to the position of being disciples. Pray they will come to know and understand the sacrifice He made so that they could live. Pray they will be filled with the desire to abide IN Him daily. And pray for the disciples who are being persecuted and hated around the world because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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