12 APR Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” John 15: 2, 8
The passage in John paints a picture of a vineyard in which Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and the Father is the vinedresser or gardener. He intentionally works in the vineyard to produce a regular crop of fruit. We can miss some really good information about what our lives should look like and our part in that. We can also get what he is saying wrong and begin to feel like we are not doing enough. God wants you to be filled with joy, not sorrow.
If you focus on the fruit, then you will miss out on all the heavenly glory. (paraphrasing Bruce Lee) The fruit is a byproduct of being connected to Jesus and receiving the life-giving spirit from abiding in him. We are to be focused on being faithful, not fruitful. He tells us in this passage that we cannot produce fruit apart from him. If we are not remaining in Him, we will wither and die. Those branches are broken off because they are useless.
The fruit itself is both internal and external. The internal fruit is that of the Spirit and is about your maturity and development as the person that God wants you to be. The external fruit has to do with people coming to faith through your testimony, gospel sharing, and investment of time. In both cases, it is the Lord that is working through you moving that life-giving power like a branch connected to the vine. If you are connected, you will see fruit and prove that you are His.
Are you remaining faithful to Jesus?
Reading Plan: Psalm 97, 99; Micah. 7:7-15; Acts 3:1-10; John 15:1-11
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