"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:4 NIV
In high school, I remember having to take a certain number of science classes. Biology was okay. The chemistry lab was fun but memorizing the periodic table was painful. The class I enjoyed most was horticulture as I tromped over to the greenhouses to turn mulch, weed, and repot plants. One of the most fascinating jobs was grafting. Making a precise deep incision on a healthy plant, inserting a fresh cutting, and binding the newly grafted plant. With care and tending, it becomes one with the original plant. In time, the new grafting becoming indistinguishable from the original plant.
Jesus' act of selfless sacrifice was the incision made into God's righteous vine. In our baptism, we become grafted onto the trunk. The Holy Spirit binds us and provides the needed nutrients to remain healthy. Where it is not possible for us to bear fruit on our own in Christ, we can. If lopped off from that vine, allowing sin to separate us, we lose the ability to bear fruit. There is no way for us to flourish when separated from God.
God, we give thanks for the joy of being grafted to you. Please help us share the joys of those fruits to the world in our ministry and witness. May all the words we speak and the actions we take glorify you. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Blessings!
Pastor Tim
What does it mean to remain in Christ? How can we share this fruit with others?
