"Living a Fruitful Life"
John 15:1-11
Verse 1-2 says, "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit." NIV
I believe there is a song that says, "There's a difference between living and living well". I want to add an extra part to that song. There is a difference between living, living well...and Living Fruitful. In this passage of scripture, Jesus uses a parable of the vine and the branch to describe our relationship with him. As long as the branch stays attached to the vine, it continues to grow and bear fruit. However, once it is separated from the vine, its ability to reproduce is terminated. If it can not produce fruit, it is of no use but to be cut down and burned in the fire.
Just as the vine is the life source of the branch, Jesus is our life source. We can not live and breathe without his permission. John 15:5b NIV Jesus says, "apart from me you can do nothing." As long as we are separated from him, we can not bear fruit. And, if we are not bearing fruit we are of no use...to him. Remember what he told Adam and Eve in the garden...Gen 1:28 NIV...be fruitful and multiply (increase in number). Wow! It all seems so simple when we look at it in terms of a vine and a branch. We can actually see with our eyes how the branch is so dependent on the vine because we can touch it and feel it. We can even brake off the branch from the vine and immediately see the branch start to deteriorate. After only a few hours of the branch being separated from the vine, it starts to fade and looks nothing like it did while it was connected to its life source.
When we are separated from God, our lives do not deteriorate as fast as the branch does when it is separated from the vine, but we are fading (on the inside) and living a fruitless life (on the outside). We can try to dress it up with all kinds of worldly things, but nothing can replace a real relationship with God.
If we will stay connected to God, we are guaranteed to live a Fruitful Life. John 15:5a NIV "I am the vine you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit..."
God Bless,
Fred Stokes
