The Branch Has Only One Responsibility
Jesus paints one of the most beautiful pictures of discipleship in John 15. “I am the true vine… you are the branches… If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Notice what Jesus does not say.
• He never tells the branch to produce fruit.
• He never tells the branch to convince others that the vine is alive.
• He never commands the branch to strain, struggle, or manufacture life.
The branch has one assignment:
Remain. Abide. Stay connected.
The fruit is simply the evidence that the life of the vine is flowing through the branch. Likewise, the Christian life is never about producing the life of Christ through human effort. It is about remaining so close to Jesus that His life naturally flows through us.
• The fruit is His.
• The power is His.
• The transformation is His.
• The glory is His.
Our responsibility is simply to remain in Him.
A PROMISE AND A PROBLEM
One of the great benefits of the fear of the Lord is that holy fear teaches us how to properly relate to what God has spoken. • We often talk about the promises of God. • We quote them. • We sing about them. • We encourage one another with them. But what happens when...