Daily Devotional

-December 9, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Jesus Is the True Vine And We Are The Branches Who Abide Him-

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).

“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” (John 15:5).

John records the seven great “I am” statements of Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way the truth, and the life, and the true vine. He is the Son of God. Exodus 3:14 says, “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Jesus came into this world as perfect God and perfect man as the I AM. He preached and taught, He performed miracles, He healed people, and He died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Then He ascended back to heaven with the promise He will come again. Today’s text is so encouraging because it shows the personal relationship He has with us as true vine and we as His branches.

• I am the true vine – Jesus is the vine and the Father is the vinedresser. Only the vine can produce the grapes. It is the Father who guided Him in all that He said and did. Jesus the vine produced disciples then and still today as well.

• 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 – There is such a close relationship between the vine and the branches. The vine produces the fruit through the branches. Thus Jesus produces His fruit through us as we abide in Him. His will is that we bear much fruit. Fruit bearing in the NT refers to two things: winning souls to Christ and living the Christlike life and being His effective servants.

There is no way for us to bear fruit without Christ. He empowers us and uses us to touch lives. We are nothing without Him and we can do nothing apart from Him. Any success or fruit we produce is by Him and for Him. All the glory goes to Christ and to the Father.

Abiding in Christ is the close relationship we have with our Lord and Savior in prayer and in His Word. We must spend time with Him every day. Only then are we equipped to carry on His work in this world. Any work for Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit will accomplish nothing for the kingdom of God.

The hymn writer Henry F. Lyte wrote, “Abide with me — fast falls the even tide, the darkness deepens — Lord, with me abide; when other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.” Let us abide in Him and He will abide in us. Only then can we produce much fruit, for without Him we can do nothing.

Have a blessed and fruitful day abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ, the true vine. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean