Yes God Can!Sample

Remain  

In the backyard of the house where I grew up in Myrtle Creek, Oregon was a Bing cherry tree that produced loads of delicious cherries year after year. Friends and family alike would stop by throughout the summer to get in on the sweet bounty. 

During some extraordinarily fruitful years, it seemed as if branches would snap under the weight of all those deep red clusters. Talk about low hanging fruit!

This tree, now over forty years old, is a vivid picture of these words of Jesus,

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NLT emphasis mine)

Whether it’s cherries, apples, or grapes, branches simply cannot produce any fruit unless they’re attached to a trunk or vine. You and I are no different apart from Christ.

The Greek word used here for ‘remain’ is meno which also means “abide, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, to last, endure, remain as one.” We see this little word appear at least 33 times in John’s gospel alone, compared to 11 times in the other three gospels combined.

John is the only gospel writer who shares these ‘Vine and branches’ images given to us by Jesus. This intimate picture of attachment is one that the ‘beloved disciple’ doesn’t want us to miss. Stay connected to our Vine (Jesus) and delicious fruit will appear in our lives in the proper season.

This ‘fruit’ consists of things like love, joy, and peace which others around us will be able to spot and partake of. These and more varieties of fruit are listed in Galatians 5:22. When we’re connected to Jesus, our lives naturally bear this delicious fruit. 

The Christian life isn’t simply about believing the right things or doing good things. It’s about living in union with the Giver of life. This union allows you and I (branches) to receive the life-giving sap and nourishment we need in order for fruit to appear in our lives.

As we spend time relating to God through prayer and reading His Word, it’s like water and fertilizer He uses to help us grow. And let’s be clear, it’s God who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6), not us. Our role is to remain in Christ.

Want to bear delicious fruit that lasts? Remain attached to the Vine. Nothing worthwhile (eternal) is produced on our own.

Prayer…

"Jesus, You alone are the Vine and your Father is the vine dresser. We desire to bear much fruit that lasts into eternity. We know that apart from You, we can do nothing that's of eternal value. We confess the many times we have spun our wheels trying to make things happen that are here today and gone tomorrow. Hold us tightly Jesus as we're so prone to wander. Help us to stay connected to your life-giving presence in order to receive the nourishment only You can offer. It's in the wonderful name of Jesus we pray, Amen."