Bearing Fruit

John 15:3 ESV

“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.”

In the metaphor that Jesus is giving to His disciples, of the grape vine, there is a process of the nutrients that the vine gives to the branches that the branches may bear fruit to glorify the giver of life, Jesus. There is no talk that the disciples have any power within themselves to bear good fruit on their own. All the fruit that will be produced comes because of what the vine has given the branches. In fact, Jesus says in the next verse, “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me (John 15:4).” So there can be no one that says that the fruit they produce is of themselves.

Jesus clarifies in our verse today that when we came to Jesus it was like starting all over again with a new lease on life. With this life we were given the ability to bear fruit and it was good because of what Jesus put in us, the words of life and truth. The purity of everything that we produce in this life is because of Jesus and what He has place in us was pure, and undefiled. So the words that we speak, out thoughts, our actions our testimony, the good deeds, the love, the caring that we give all came through the source of life into us.

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you for giving us the ability to glorify you in our words, actions and reactions. Anything that does not glorify you, did not come from the source of true life, it came from us. Those are the branches that You have to prune within us, the parts that do not bring You glory. Pour out Your power within us, trim what needs to be trimmed. Amen!