There are 37 billion fruit vines worldwide—kiwi, grapes, gooseberry, blackberry, dragon fruit, honeydew melon, watermelon, hops, sugar cube cantaloupe, Swiss Cheese plant fruit, and chocolate vine. But I wonder how a vine supports large, heavy fruit.
Jesus is the vine of salvation and wants to produce the fruit of salvation in our lives. He invites us to abide in Him as a branch. Abiding in Him gives the faith to believe and know the Father’s will.
God gives us the grace to believe His Word. Jesus is the Word. “Without faith, it’s impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus pleased the Father because He knew His will. Jesus studied the word and surrendered, trusted, and obeyed the Father. The Father was pleased at Jesus’ baptism and His temptation in the wilderness. He later blessed Jesus’ ministry. The teaching, preaching, and healing Jesus did was because the Word and Spirit of God led Him.
The word sanctifies our hearts to live and love in faith so we can produce spiritual fruit. Jesus invites us to abide in the Word and produce the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit demonstrates salvation and the love of God to the world. But we must be patient in the process because fruit takes time to produce and doesn’t grow overnight.
God is love, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Abiding in Jesus frees us to walk in love, which reconciles hearts and lives.
Ask God to help you abide in love, walk in the truth, and produce spiritual fruit.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and Couleur.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Sonia Ivy is a writer.