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Abiding in the Vine
by Pastor Graham Cathers
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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 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. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:1-8, NKJV)
This is one of the most powerful truths Jesus ever taught his disciples. This teaching holds the key to a fruitful overcoming life as a believer. There is a lot more in this passage than I can cover but let me share a few thoughts with you.
Abide in Me
This just means live in relationship and fellowship with me. A branch can't produce its own life and neither can we. The amount of life we have flowing in us is directly tied to how connected to Jesus we are.
Look, I'm standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I'll come in and we'll eat together. (Rev 3:20, GWT)
Jesus is standing at the door and knocking for permission to come in and fellowship with us. He's knocking and tugging at the door of our hearts to come in and spend time with us. It's up to us to open the door and give him access.
And I in you
Live in relationship with me and I will live in relationship with you. Christ in you is a reality. He has made his home in our heart. I don't know about you but there are some homes I feel more welcome in than others. It's the same with Jesus he's only as welcome as we make him.
Eph 3:17 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. (NLT)
Let my word abide in you
Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. (John 15:7,CEV) Letting his word live in us means more than just knowing a verse or having memorized it. 2 Cor 3:1-3 says the Holy Spirit writes Gods word in our hearts. When the Spirit of God writes the word on our heart that's a word we can live out. He said these believers were a letter from Christ known and read by everyone. That means they were manifesting the truth.
Answered Prayer
Prayer is much more than a slot machine where we pull the handle by throwing up a prayer and then hope that it works. Jesus made it very clear he intends for us to have our prayers answered.
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy. (John 16:24, NCV)
Answered prayer is to be a continual source of joy. People always worry about asking for things outside of Gods will but when you and he live together and his words are at home in your heart it's not a problem. I've been married 25 years and in most cases I know what my wife likes or dislikes. That knowledge comes from living in relationship with her. It's the same with the Father.
The Father is glorified when we produce a lot of fruit and I believe the fruit he's talking about here is the fruit of answered prayer. So I encourage you to take some time every day to be with Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to write his word on your heart. It's the path to a fruitful life in Christ. You won't be sorry.
- Pastor Graham
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