“Plugged in”. That’s the only way we live a fruit-bearing life. We can’t just claim Christ, kinda, sorta know what Christianity is, and struggle through the day trying to do the right thing.
We don’t bear fruit by trying. We bear fruit by abiding in the Vine. If we have truly been grafted into the Vine, we resemble the Vine. We imitate the Vine, and we effortlessly become more and more like the Vine.
We don’t argue with the Vine (we are mere branches!), or submit our agenda to the Vine. We are a natural extension and we “glorify the Father” by our fruit.
ABIDE. To sojourn or tarry.
The voices of the world that would pull us away from abiding in the truth of the Vine are loud and aggressive.
We must tarry in God’s Word. Be students of it. Pray to know it, and pray to understand it. We must seek Him…the true Vine. And when we do, our fruit will break forth and weigh down our branches in abundance.
4 comments
I sooooo need to GET this!
Bran–you are not alone! We all need to get this. Myself particularly.
“Plugged in” is a great analogy too, perhaps for a more modern crowd… We all have talents and gifts, but trying to use them on our own strength is like being a DVD player that’s not plugged in.
AMEN!