Jewels From JohnSample

Abounding in Fruitfulness 

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4 (NKJV)

Read John 15:1-8 for a detailed account

When Jesus told His disciples that He was the true vine, His Father, the gardener and they, the branches, it was an analogy that they could easily relate with. For those of us who are interested in gardening, we understand the importance of trimming the branches, and also cutting off those branches which sometimes are completely dry. That’s exactly what the Father has to do when there is no fruit in our lives. Just like a gardener who invests his time, energy and resources on a plant expects to see the fruit, so also, God who has given us everything we ever need, including Salvation, which is the greatest gift, anticipates a life of fruitfulness.

In order to bear fruit there is an important prerequisite, and that is for us to abide in Christ, and that His Words abide in us. It’s really simple: a branch has life and can bear fruit only as long as it is connected to the vine. Once it is disconnected, death is inevitable. Abiding in Christ means acknowledging the fact that we are helpless without Him. What happens as a result of this abiding is that we become more fruitful, and we have the assurance that whatever we desire will be done for us.

There are two important areas one must be fruitful in. Firstly, in our own personal lives. Galatians 5:22-23 spells this out clearly, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”(NLT) As Jesus clearly stated, the fruit of the Spirit will be evident only in the life of one who chooses to abide in Him.

The next area of fruit-bearing is where we are called to bless others and lead others into the Kingdom of God. In the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Jesus talked about the ones who are good soil, who hear the word, understand it and produce fruit, some hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty. The Lord wants to take and use us to be those fruitful people, who are fulfilling the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus, and bringing many into His fold.

Here is a word of Jesus to treasure in our hearts from John 15:16, “You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures.” GNB