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.