Bible League: Living His Word Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.— John 15:4 NLT We have been spending much of our evenings in our garden over the past summer, planting vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers. I realize gardening is very hard work, but it is quite fulfilling to watch little seedlings grow into healthy plants. It is super exciting to watch the fruits and vegetables grow on them with time. We have had a healthy harvest of beans, cucumbers, lettuce, mint, rosemary, figs, blueberries, and spinach. We had planted a couple of tiny seedlings of cherry tomatoes, and we watched them grow into healthy vines about two feet high. Soon we observed little clusters of tomatoes, and they are getting bigger and juicier every day. How awesome! But we had little insects and bugs in our garden inflicting damage on our tomato vines. So, we had to cut a few branches off. The cut off branches could still be identified as a tomato plant because of their outward appearance, but soon the severed branches withered in the sun and dried up. They went into our garden waste bin. All the branches that remained in the plant got their nourishment from the vine and produced a whole lot more tomatoes. Like these branches, unless we as Christians remain in Christ, we will be fruitless. What would you say if I were to ask you, "How do you identify a Christian?" You would probably answer that they go to church, they pray, they give generously, they are forgiving and loving, they don't swear, and they read a Bible. But it is possible to do all of that without being a Christian. However, it is impossible to remain in Christ and not bear His fruit. In today's world of fake branded products, fake news, deep fake technology, artificial intelligence, and false social media posts designed to get likes and follows, it has become hard to recognize the real from the fake. Speaking of fake believers, Jesus our Lord warned us that we would know them by their "fruits." One can bear fruits of righteousness only by remaining in Christ. A severed branch would perhaps look like a Christian but fruitless. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's easy to become disconnected, like a branch severed from the vine. The world throws challenges our way, and sometimes we feel the weight of our responsibilities pulling us in different directions. In those moments, we must intentionally choose to remain in Christ. When we abide in Christ, our lives become fruitful. The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)—begin to manifest in our daily interactions. I like to think of remaining in Christ as living for the audience of One. I only need to please one person, Jesus Christ. I only need to obey His Word and leave all the consequences thereof to Him. I need to sever myself from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and be grafted on to the tree of life, which is Jesus Christ. Remaining in Christ involves staying close to Him in your very thoughts, actions, and daily decisions. It involves finding solutions to life's challenges in His Word and not from this world because you no longer are a branch on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are now a branch on the tree of life. As we discipline ourselves to consistently rely on His Word for all things pertaining to life, we draw sustenance from the vine—Jesus Christ—and we find wisdom and strength to navigate life's challenges. As you go about your day, remember the invitation to remain in Christ. Choose to stay connected to the true vine, drawing strength, wisdom, and life from the source. May your journey be one of continuous growth, abiding in the love and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. By Santosh Chandran, Bible League International staff, New Zealand Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading2 Samuel 21, 22 2 Samuel 21 -- The Gibeonites Avenged; Battles with the Philistines NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Samuel 22 -- David's Song of Deliverance NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 22:1-30 Luke 22 -- Preparing the Passover; Jesus Arrested, Disowned by Peter NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.Insight God wants us to view what we have (whether it is much or little) with the right perspective—our possessions are a gift from God. Although they are not the source of joy, they are a reason to rejoice because every good thing comes from God. Challenge We should focus more on the Giver than the gift. We can be content with what we have when we realize that with God, we have everything we need. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 149:4 The Lord taketh pleasure in his people.How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of his people's interests which he does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to him. Not merely does he think of you, believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal being too. Do not deny it or doubt it: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." It were a sad thing for us if this mantle of love did not cover all our concerns, for what mischief might be wrought to us in that part of our business which did not come under our gracious Lord's inspection! Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your meaner affairs. The breadth of his tender love is such that you may resort to him in all matters; for in all your afflictions he is afflicted, and like as a father pitieth his children, so doth he pity you. The meanest interests of all his saints are all borne upon the broad bosom of the Son of God. Oh, what a heart is his, that doth not merely comprehend the persons of his people, but comprehends also the diverse and innumerable concerns of all those persons! Dost thou think, O Christian, that thou canst measure the love of Christ? Think of what his love has brought thee--justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life! The riches of his goodness are unsearchable; thou shalt never be able to tell them out or even conceive them. Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have half our hearts? Shall it have a cold love in return? Shall Jesus' marvellous lovingkindness and tender care meet with but faint response and tardy acknowledgment? O my soul, tune thy harp to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go to thy rest rejoicing, for thou art no desolate wanderer, but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by thy Lord. Daily Light on the Daily Path Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,Hebrews 6:19,20 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, • where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Acts 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed. Romans 8:22,23 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. • And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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