John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

I just love the chapter in John where Jesus talks about the vine. There are so many nuggets of gold that you can take away from what Jesus is saying. In this analogy God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. When we remain in Jesus and Jesus is in us, which means we are full of the Holy Spirit, we will produce fruit. In Galatians 5:22 it says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  If your desire is to have these qualities, then you must remain in the word of God. Devote yourself to something new because a well will spring forth with blessings. Designate time with Him so that He can show you the way.

Jesus also says that God, the gardener, will prune the vine. In the first part of John 15:2, Jesus says, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit…” It is a gardener’s responsibility to care for the vines in a vineyard.  When a gardener sees a dead branch, he will cut it off from the trunk of the vine.  A dead branch is not only useless to a vine, but it can also infect the rest of the vines.  In Galatians 5:19, Paul lists the acts of the sinful nature. Then in verse 21 he says, “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Or in short, they will be cut off from the Vine.

The second part of John 15:2 says, “…while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  The fruitful branches are true believers that by remaining in Jesus produce much fruit.  But Jesus does not say that true believers will live happily ever after without any problems.  No, He says that true believers will be cut back too.  There will be pain.  There will be trials.  There will be sorrow.  But we can use these experiences to strengthen our character and faith.  God prunes us so that we will be even more fruitful, and this fruitfulness will glorify God.

So to recap, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the fruits that you will produce if He remains in you and you in Him. Jesus ends his message about the vines by saying in John 15:17, “This is my command: Love each other.”  Yep, that’s what it’s all about.

Lord, thank you for speaking to us through your word. Please fill us with the desire to lean in and linger with you every day so that we may produce fruit and glorify you. Amen