2018 Weekly Devotional - Week 26

Week 26

    “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

    A couple of weeks ago I was driving through the beautiful pecan tree country of San Saba and was saddened to see so many of the trees damaged by the severe drought we are in. I was on my way to do a little pruning of the pecan trees we have on our place in Goldthwaite. I spent several days trimming out the dead wood as well as the small healthy branches on our trees. While these small healthy branches would have pecans on them this fall, they are an overall detriment to the tree for they keep the tree from producing more high quality fruit. If you were to look at our trees now they look a little thread bare but I know how productive they will be come fall. While I was trimming, Darla was cleaning up behind me stacking up the freshly cut branches so that we could haul them off to the burn pile.

    Jesus tells us that we get our life from him. It is as we abide in him that we bear fruit. And just like our pecan trees, Jesus is after even more fruit. Therefore, he teaches us that even though we are bearing fruit we will be trimmed in order to bear even more fruit! Those branches that do not produce fruit are “taken away”, or it could be translated “taken up”. If “taken away” is the meaning then it could mean that the Lord removes us from this life because of our unfruitfulness. Our soul is secure but our rebellious unfaithfulness will not be tolerated. If “taken up” is meant then the Lord bolsters us so that we will begin bearing fruit. Discarded branches are gathered up and burned we are told in this passage. I believe this is what Paul was talking about in Corinthians when he taught that all our worldly work would be burned up. We will be saved but our worthless deeds will be consumed. The Lord wants us to bear fruit and indeed we will as we abide in him. We may look a little threadbare from time to time, but as we abide and are pruned we will bear much fruit for Christ.

In Christ,


John