Bible Studies

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John 15:4-5 – “Remain united to Me, and I will remain united to you. A branch cannot bear fruit of itself, it can do so only as it remains in the vine, in the same way, you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches; whoever remains in Me and I in them, will bear much fruit, for you can do nothing without Me.”

When we put our faith in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior and Lord, then we are spiritually united with Him in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:5). This union is symbolized and acknowledged by baptism (Col. 2:12, Rom. 6:4). We are to remain united to Him through our intentional interaction with Him – by reading and meditating on His word, by prayer, and by allowing/wanting Him to live through us and work through us every day – thus growing spiritually. The more we are connected to Him and experience His life, love, and power flowing through us; the more spiritual fruit we will bear. A branch bears fruit as a natural connection to the vine. It is the vine that supplies the life giving nutrients that a branch needs to be able to bear fruit. If that connection to the vine is hindered, there will be less fruit; if the connection is severed, there will be no fruit at all and the branch will eventually die. Too often we try to do our “religious stuff” in our own strength. We do all the things we think we’re supposed to do to be “good Christians” and wonder why we only seem to exhaust ourselves while getting nowhere. Possibly the most important part of this passage is this; “you can do nothing without Me.”

Notice the word “nothing”. This does not merely apply to whatever we categorize as our “Christian life” but to absolutely every part of our lives. The fruit we are to bear should be evidenced in every area of our lives – church, work, friends, family, and even as a customer at the store – and it should be something that is evidenced from within us and not simply an act that we put on. More than trying harder, it’s about learning to rest in God and to cry out to Him to change us. We all need to be desperate for God to be at work in us. As Scripture says, “for it is God who is at work in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:13). The most important part of your day is the time that you spend strengthening your connection to God. It is not so much the amount of time that you spend, but the position of your heart that matters. It is the heart’s cry that changes everything. Rest in His love and His promise, for He says to you, “Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). I am the One who calls you and I will do it (1 Thess. 5:24).”

Therefore, let us pray, “Oh, our God, You are the faithful and true (Revelation 3:14, 19:11), the author and finisher (Hebrews 12:2), the beginning and the end (Revelation 21:6, 22:13), we come before You aware that we are branches and You are the true vine (John 15:1). Thank You for uniting us to You in Christ. We ask that You would help us to remain united to You, keep us in Your hands that never let go. Pour Your life and Your spirit into us that we might bear much fruit to Your glory (John 15:8). May these things be evidenced in our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). Grow us in You and in Your word. Prune from our lives anything that hinders or distracts us from bearing fruit for You – even things that might seem good in themselves. We come humbly before You, acknowledging that there is nothing good that we can do without You. So be at work in us, moving our hearts toward obedience, strengthening and enabling us to do Your will. Help us to be united and intimately connected to You. May we desire to follow You every day of our lives and to draw nearer to You with every moment. We are Yours. To You, oh God, be the glory and honor, dominion and power, for now and forever (Jude 1:25). Amen!

See the songs; Remain, Change Me, I’m not that Strong

Here are some words that I ran through my thesaurus:

Remain – stay, linger, continue, live, dwell, inhabit, settle,

To remain, to linger with, to continue with, to live in, to be settled in

United – combined, joined, connected, unified, integrated

Integrated – intimately and inseparably interconnected, to become a whole

Fruit – outgrowth, evidence

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