Tag: John 15:1
Day 5–Abiding in Jesus
Scripture reading for February 20: John 15:4-5 “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. 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. 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.”
Jesus instructed His team of disciples using analogies. In this passage He used the example of a grape vine. He was the trunk of that vine and supported the branches. The branches, as they remained attached to the vine, produced fruit. This was the mission and purpose of the vine, to produce fruit for the Father that would bless His kingdom. The vine was kept by a vine dresser-God the Father. (John 15:1) If branches died or were unfruitful, He would prune them off and throw them in the fire, as they were good for nothing else. Their purpose was never to be fulfilled–that of fruitfulness and blessing.
Likewise, disciples of Jesus must stay attached in daily relationship with their Master. They would abide in Him, and He in them through His teaching and the Father’s Gift of the Holy Spirit. As they remained in vital relationship, under the Father’s watchful eyes, they would produce fruit that would bring glory to God the Father. If they neglected their attachment, they would eventually be pruned away and tossed into the fire. This teaching used a plain illustration that brought ‘pruning’ to the branches!
As first responders, we can also learn from this example. Each department and leader has communicated standards of behavior and attendance required for doing the job effectively. We must ‘abide’ by these stated standards and willingly submit to them and seek to live by them. Some examples include wearing seatbelts when in vehicles, using prescribed safety vests and procedures when working incidents or accidents. When responding to a fire, our goal is to save human lives if possible as well as protecting our own ability to help. We submit to the incident commander and follow his instructions.
Prayer: Father, thank You for providing our source of fruitfulness in Jesus Christ. Help me abide in Him and produce much fruit! Amen.