Discover the Person of Jesus in the Gospel of JohnSample

Scripture

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:1–7

Today’s Thought

I’ll never forget our drive down the Rhine River Valley many years ago, leaving Frankfurt toward Cologne. Breathtaking! Along the way, 31 castles were built for defense on the high hills and mountains overlooking the river itself, but the valley is known for the Riesling grapes that grow on the hills and the hundreds of family-run wineries. We pulled into one of these small wineries on this maiden-valley exploration, and in broken English of the owner’s wife, we discussed the vine and branches, for it was pruning season.

“The vine has all the life. It is the source of everything, my friends. Oh, how we love our vines.” But I asked, “Why do you prune? What’s its purpose, and how much do you cut off?” She responded, “Son, we cut almost all of the branches off! The branch’s role is to carry the life of the vine so that it will make much more fruit. The pruning makes the branch small so that when it grows back each year, the life of our vines is not wasted on making the branch big and pretty; it all goes to bear the fruit of the vine. It’s all about fruit, son!” It was as if we were in a Kingdom Bible lecture 101.

“I am the vine. I am the source of life. I have everything you need. I am the source of all fruit-bearing. I am the vine. I am available as your source of life. I have life; connect with Me! You are the branches.” This is the one “I am” statement where Jesus reverses it and gives us our identity, our role. We are the branches. We are to be those carriers of His life that reveal His nature and bear His fruit. We are the branches. As His branch, I must banish from my heart and mind the idea that His life flows in me to make me somehow something that others would gaze at, glorify, or call beautiful. The life of the vine is not to make the branch bigger or more beautiful; it is to flow through the branch, bearing fruit unto His name. He is the vine, and we, each of us, are a branch, and it’s all about His fruit, His glory, and His will being done upon the earth. Oh, that our hearts would be fully converted to desire maximum fruit unto our King, our vine. Oh, that we would be delivered from the mirage, the vapor of the idea that He has come to make us beautiful and glorious.

“If you abide in Me, I will abide in you, and you will bear much fruit. But apart from Me, disconnected from Me, you can do nothing!” On this side of the Cross and the coming of the Spirit, our greatest call is not to obey but to abide. That is to live a life of ever-deepening connection to our vine, the Lord Jesus Christ, and then, His unseen life fills us and flows through us, and we become the glorious fruit bearers bringing glory to Him and good upon the earth. He is our vine, and we His branches—abide! The funny thing about this thing is that when you forsake the desire and motive of becoming something greater or more beautiful and live unto the King, much of this fruit that you bear is His image. His image in us is the ultimate beauty and greatness we could ever hope for. “I am the true vine!”

Think It Over

• In what ways is Jesus your true vine? How is that playing out in your daily life?
• What does it mean in your own words that you are His branch?
• How can you more deeply abide in Him and by abiding bear much fruit?

Let’s Pray

Lord Jesus, You and You alone are my vine. I plant myself deeply in You and drink of Your hidden life. You are my source of light, my source of perspective, my source of emotion, and my source of strength. You are my vine. I believe, and today, I accept the reality that I amYour branch. I take the place of one living deeply in You, not to have anything for and of myself, but to bear the fruit in Your heart. Let me bear the fruit of Your image in me, glorifying You and reflecting You to this world. Let me bear the fruit of souls coming to know You and becoming children of Your Father. Let me bear the fruit of miracles, destroying the works of darkness and liberating people from their problems. Today, You and You alone are my vine, and today, I rest in the fact that I am Your branch, living and abiding deeply within You. I believe! Amen.

Was this Plan helpful? We adapted this Plan from our book, Walking With John: A 30-Day Journey Into Eternity. If you’d like more content from this book, you can visit our blog.

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