TUESDAY August 19, 2025
Abide in the Vine
“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.”
John 15:5
The picture of the vine in the Old Testament is symbolic of the nation of Israel (Isaiah 5). In the New Testament, Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches. There is no possible way that we, as Christians, can bear fruit unless we abide in Christ. We are to live a life of surrender to His will as we obey God.
How does a Christian bear fruit? What does that mean? Know this: The greatest spiritual fruit in your life is love. When you abide in the Vine, who Christ is symbolically, you will naturally bear all kinds of fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 describes the kind of spiritual fruit a Christian should have in their life as they abide in the Vine: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Believers who abide in the Vine will have this amazing quality of life, as they stay in the love of Christ.
The word abide in the Greek language means just that––“to stay” or “to remain.” We can have constant uninterrupted fellowship and communion with God as long as we abide in the Vine. When we serve the Lord, we cannot serve Him in our own strength: “...for without Me [Jesus] you can do nothing.”
Do you want to remain fruitful in your service to the Lord? Then you must abide in the Vine.
Peace, perfect peace; rest, constant rest; answers to all our prayers; victory over all our foes; pure, holy living; ever-increasing fruitfulness. All, all of these are the glad outcome of abiding in Christ.
~James Hudson Taylor~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
