26^th January

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

Jesus significantly uses the analogy of a tree and fruit to symbolise our relationship with God and the fruit we bear as a result of being ‘connected’ to the source. As we discussed yesterday, being filled with the Spirit is key to producing God like fruit. In addition, being connected to the source of all life, Almighty God, gives us all the nutrients we need to also bear fruit, and in doing so, bring glory to His Name, to all who are receivers of the God-like fruit we are bearing.

Jesus warns us of the importance of staying connected to the Father. He simply states that “a branch cannot produce fruit if it severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.” It is an obvious example yet the simplicity of it can often lead to complacency in understanding it. The question we must ask ourselves is, how do we stay connected to the vine (God the Father)? The answer, by obeying God’s commandments. His commandments are simply to love Him and love others with the same love He loves us with.

In fact, verse 10 tells us that “when you obey My (Jesus’) commandments, you remain in My (Jesus’) love…”. So, the simple starting point to living a life bearing God-like fruit is to accept God’s unconditional love and to obey His commandments of loving Him and loving others. This keeps us connected to the source of love, which in turn allows us to bear God-like fruit in our lives. It is then that God the Father is glorified through our lives. Moreover, it is the Holy Spirit that leads us to love, to obey God and stay connected to the source.