Producing Fruit

(John 15:5) ¶ “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.

I feel the force of this verse. On my own I am a dried out stick... brittle and unfruitful. Without Christ, I can do nothing.

But Christ can do all things. With God nothing is impossible.

I am a branch - and Jesus is the Vine. He is the source of life for me. It is His life that flows into me and through me to produce fruit.

It is not my fruit, but His. I cannot produce fruit by focusing on fruit production. I cannot produce fruit by trying hard. I need to focus on my connection to the Vine. If I abide in Him and He abides in me... surely He will bring forth fruit.

So Jesus is my proper focus. I must study the word of God - not just in a cursory way, but with energy so that it abides in me. I must apply myself to prayer - not just a routine of recitation, but with the agony of self examination and honest supplication. I must give myself to obedience - not just formalistic rituals, but a conscientious application of God's truth to my relationships and to every circumstance I encounter.

I want fruit. I would like to see fruit. I want new people to be saved and saved people to grow in their walk with Christ. I want the church to do the right things in the right way. I want to see God honored in my life, in my family, and in the church.

But I cannot DO it. I cannot control it. I cannot produce fruit. All I can do is keep on giving myself to Jesus. I need to abide in Jesus and let Him abide in me. He can produce fruit.