We were reminded today that fruitfulness is a work of God, not our own work. Jesus Christ said that He is the vine, God is the vinedresser, and if we are Jesus’ disciples, we are the branches. The branches bear the fruit because of life in the vine through the care of the vinedresser. We cannot bear fruit without Christ’s life flowing through us. And we cannot bear fruit of our own making.
Abide
in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides
in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are
the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart
from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5
It’s all of God. Our part is abiding in Him. It brings glory to Him because it's really not of our own doing.
My Father is glorified by this, that you
bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples (v. 8). –Jesus
So I ask myself— Am I truly a
disciple of Jesus, the Christ? Does my fruit give evidence of life in Him? Or am I trying to bear fruit through sheer determination and my own self effort?
Image ~ Grapes, cloudlynx via pixabay
CC0 Creative Commons
