The Vine and the Branches
Weekly Nehemiah Devotional
Do you know the Vine?
Are you abiding in Him?
Are you bearing the fruit of abiding?
| “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. “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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” – John 15:4-7 (NKJV) |
The Vine and the Branches
The entire Bible is a chronicle of the communications between God and man. The two glorious vehicles of two-way communication that He has given to us are worship and intercession – spoken and sung conversations between the Creator and His highest creation (Psalm 27:8; Zephaniah 3:17).
A disciple of Christ will be strong in worship and intercession; otherwise, they risk becoming disconnected from the True Vine (Jesus). “Abiding in Him” means just that – remaining in intimate fellowship with Him at all times, through prayer and worship.
From the teachings of Jesus regarding the Vine and the branches, we learn the following:
- A branch (a disciple, and for that matter, a church, a Kingdom business, or a movement) cannot bear fruit unless it is in close communion, conversation, and communication with the Vine (Jesus).
- One who does abide in the Vine will bear abundant, eternal fruit.
- One who does not abide in the vine will become dry – mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – and bear little if any fruit.
- One who does not abide is in danger of being cast out and withering (speaking of the fruitlessness borne out of a lack of relationship with Christ, not of losing salvation).
- One who abides can ask their heart’s desire, and it will be done for them by the LORD.
“Busy-ness” is the enemy of abiding – and sometimes, even the fruitfulness that abiding brings can become the enemy of its source. Many start out as worshippers and lovers of God and His Presence, but sadly, even “righteous busy-ness” has been known all too often to quench the fires of first love.
Conduct a heart check right now.
Is there anything that is more important to you than staying strongly connected to the Source of all life?
Especially when challenges or discouragement come your way, where will you choose to abide?
My prayer for you is that you will be committed to abiding in Christ and bear much fruit as you serve Christ in the marketplace.
This devotional is written by Pastor Steve Harris, the founder of Global Influencers, an organization that trains and equips leaders to establish anointed communities that transform nations by restoring Kingdom culture from grassroots to government in the villages, cities, regions, and nations of the world. He is also the Content Development Assistant in the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community.
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