"...I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing. ..."
John 15:5
ESV
(emphasis added)
The idea that without branches... the Vine bears no fruit... caused me to pause... marvel... as the author of Abide in Christ... continued...
There is more: as neither vine nor branch is anything without the other, so is neither anything except for the other.
All the vine possesses belongs to the branches. The vine does not gather from the soil its fatness and its sweetness for itself --- all it has is at the disposal of the branches. ... All His fullness and all His riches are for you, believer, for the vine does not live for itself, keeps nothing for itself, but exists only for the branches. All that Jesus is in heaven, He is for us. He has no interest there separate from ours; as our representative He stands before the Father.
And all the branch possesses belongs to the vine. The branch does not exist for itself, but to bear fruit that can proclaim the excellence of the vine. It has no reason for existence except to be of service to the vine. This is a glorious image of the calling of the believer, and the entireness of his consecration to the service of his Lord. As Jesus gives Himself so wholly over to him, he feels himself urged to be wholly his Lord's. Every power of his being, every moment of his life, every thought and feeling, belong to Jesus, that from Him and for Him he may bring forth fruit. As he realizes what the vine is to the branch, and what the branch is meant to be to the vine, he feels that he has but one thing to think of and to live for, and that is, the will, the glory, the work, the kingdom of his blessed Lord --- the bringing forth of fruit to the glory of His name.
---Andrew Murray
The exercise to develop... the habit to forge... each moment... of every day... in every place... home... store... work... school... church...
Picture self... as a fruitless branch... empty...
Ask the Vine... What fruit do You want to bear here... in this place... through me...?
I tried it yesterday... preparing for the 6th grade Bible class... the 30 minutes of controlled (?) chaos... tired of struggling... unsure how to get a message through... desiring to impart a passion for His Word... I emptied myself... surrendered... to the Vine... What fruit do You want to bear...?
I don't know exactly what the fruit was called... I'm not sure it has a name this side of heaven... but a plan came together... inter-action took place... moments of teaching... were scattered...
The victory... from my perspective... was what was planted in me... the patient... calm... trust... in not what I did... but in what He does...
Freedom to serve... through listening... obeying... and releasing the results... to Him...
Freedom in.. abiding...
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