Do You Abide In The Vine?

⁵I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
-John 15:5 (KJV)

¹³I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
-Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

As I've been studying various parts of Scripture, I'm constantly amazed at how Scripture works together, how it explains itself and how it all works together. The next couple of days, I'm going to post at least two vereses that work together from two different parts of the Bible.

Look at what Jesus said in John 15:5. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Jesus is using a gardening or farming illustration here. Let me put it this way: If you have a single branch from a tomato plant, just the branch, it's not going to produce fruit. But, if you have the complete tomato plant, where the branches are connected the the stem, that is when the plant will produce fruit. Apart from the stem, the branch of the tomato plant will not produce anything. Likewise, we (meaning you and I) will not produce much in our Christian life if we are apart from Jesus. One of the definitions for the word abide is "To continue to be sure or firm; endure." If we stand firm in Christ, we will abide in Him. If we stand firm in Him, even when things are not going according to plan, we will bring forth the fruit He expects in our lives. What kind of fruit? I believe it is the fruit of the Spirit that Paul writes about in Galatians 5, "²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." These qualities, I believe, are the marks of a mature Christian. Are these qualities present in your life? In Galatians 5, Paul also provides the qualities of a life apart from Christ. Look at this list. "¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Now, I have to ask you, which list has more in common with your life? If it's the second list, then you are not abiding in the vine. The qualities of the life lived in the Spirit (the first list) are things that can only be produced in your life as you grow in Christ.

In Philippians 4:13, Paul teaches that we can do all things through Christ. Are you abiding in Him today? Apart from Him, you will not grow into the person He wants you to be. But through Him, you'll produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life, thereby growing into the person He desires you to be. Where are you? Think About It.