Heart to Heart

I have been thinking about the branch that abides in the vine and wondering about the intersection where the branch takes off to grow and bear fruit. I have wondered about the common denominator of the two and where the abiding takes place. How does the branch grow and gain nourishment from the vine? Then I realized:

The heart of the vine and the heart of the branch connect!

The stream -- the life-blood -- flows through the heart of the plant. The life-sustaining food spills from the heart of the vine to the heart of the branch and causes the yield of fruit, more fruit, and much 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."

In the same way, we must maintain a heart-to-heart existence dependent upon our Heavenly Father. We must follow Him with all of our hearts and yearn to know how He thinks and what His nature is. What is God's character? What makes Him pleased? How can I hear His heartbeat?

The desire within must be for Him, or we are not in Christ. We cannot abide if our heart is not in it. There will never be true nourishment if we resist the grace of God and refuse to submit to His leading.

Jesus teaches a principle in the Sermon on the Mount that applies very well here. "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other," Matthew 6:24a.

If we have asked Jesus to come into our lives and to be our Lord, then we have relinquished our "rights" to being our own masters. When we attempt to leave Him out of some of our decisions, or resist Him in some areas of our lives, then we find ourselves competing with God for the lordship of our lives. In other words, we try to serve two masters. The Scripture tells us that we will have conflict if we try to carry on in such a manner.

To abide in Christ is to enjoy peaceful surrender to the One that loves us.

Lord Jesus, we want to be heart to heart with You. The fruit in my life is Your business, Lord, but it is my responsibility to learn about you. I want to get close to You, and I want You to lead the way. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Points to Ponder

1. Why is it vital to maintain a heart-to-heart relationship with God?


2. Why can't I make decisions on my own? Why must I submit to the Lord's leading?


3. In reading the Gospel of John, what have you learned about the Lord's character?

Abiding and Bearing Fruit

John 15:4, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."

The fruit of the apple tree is an apple; the fruit of a tomato plant is a tomato; the fruit of the coconut palm is a coconut; and the fruit of a peanut plant is a legume we call the peanut. When I reach up to the branch and pluck the fruit from a thriving, healthy apple tree, I am rewarded with a crunchy, juicy, sweet harvest that is wonderfully pleasant to my senses. I enjoy the way it looks, feels, smells, and tastes!

You could say that I am totally blessed by the fruit of the tree. It wouldn't cross my mind to say that I am totally blessed by the fruit of the branch. The branch does not get the credit for growing that fruit, the tree does. The reason for this is that the branch does not produce the fruit; it only holds it.

Let us turn our attention now to the vine and the branches of the vineyard. In the metaphor, Jesus is the true vine and Christians are the branches. Jesus teaches that as we abide in Christ, we can bear fruit, but if we separate ourselves from Him, we cannot bear fruit.

This is because we must remain in Christ in order to bear Christ-like fruit. It is vital that our hearts yearn for Him and that our eyes focus upon Him and His Word. When we have an attitude of faith and obedience, and when we draw our nourishment from the True Source, then the fruit we bear will be of Him.

The fruit of a Christian who abides in Christ is pleasant to the senses. It will bring love, joy, and peace to all who taste of it. The fruit will cause us to praise and give glory to our Lord Jesus because we know that we can do nothing of ourselves. We cannot take the credit for the fruit because He is the "Producer" of it!

Psalm 34:8, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

Ephesians 5:9, "for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth..."

Lord Jesus, we know that we can do nothing that will count for Your Kingdom without You. Help me to abide in You in the same way that You abide in Me. I love You, Lord. Amen.

Points to Ponder

1. Why can't a branch bear fruit by itself?



2. How would a Christian abide in Christ?

To Be Clean and Pure

Part 1

We read and studied John 15:2 last week, but before we continue on to verse 3, let us review once again the verse that warns, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away..."

A study of the particular phrase, "takes away" reveals the real action the Vinedresser takes when He finds that one of His own branches is not bearing fruit: He lifts up the branch! The same phrase is also cited in the following:

John 5:8, "Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.'"

Matthew 16:24, "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'"

There are stretches of time in a Christian's walk when fruit seems non-existent. Yet, the Lord tends to us by lovingly lifting us up, cleaning us off, disciplining us, and redirecting our efforts that we might bear fruit again. Clearly, this explains Jesus' meaning in the first part of John 15:2.

Part 2

John 15:3, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."

It is interesting that this verse is amplified by another very familiar Scripture found here and on the cover of our binders:

Ephesians 5:25-27, "...Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle of any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."

You and I do not know how God works. We are not able to understand how the words of Jesus are able to make us clean. There is no way we can fathom how reading and hearing the holy Word of God causes us to be cleansed, purified, and fitted to bear fruit...but it does. It is an on-going process, and is applied to our hearts as needed.

Again, we must search the Scripture in order get God's perspective.

Hebrews 10:22, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

The Best Part

Identifying Our Initial Need to be Cleansed

Our Heavenly Father is sinless and pure. In order for you and me to have a relationship with the Father, we must also be sinless and pure. We are not; and that presents the greatest problem of all humankind. Because of God's perfect nature, He cannot look upon us. We need a Savior!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Perfect One. Our Father sent His Son from heaven to live on the earth and to die in our place. His blood will cover our sin and impurities, and it provides the remedy for our hopelessness. All we have to do is ask.

As we ask, Jesus comes. Then, Christ is in us, and He is our hope.

1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Points to Ponder

1. In the light of our study, what does "takes away" mean in John 15:2?


2. What does Matthew 5:8 mean to you?


3. Who is the "Cleanser" of your unrighteousness?