“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.” John 15:5 ESV
Jesus’ seventh “I am” statement in John’s gospel is “I am the vine,” meaning He is the life. He proceeds to tell us we “are the branches,” meaning no life; for “the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine.” A branch off the vine dries up and dies, whatever fruit may have been on it will eventually rot. Jesus tells us that if we abide in Him we will bear fruit, in fact He says “much fruit.” But take note what He says next, “for apart from me you can do nothing.”
The word “abide” appears ten times in the first eleven verses of John 15. The idea is to “remain” in Christ. If your Christian life is just there going through the motions having no recognizable changes in your life, perhaps there is a separation with the vine. It is truly amazing what Christ can do for us as we remain in Him through daily Bible reading and prayer. Do not let worldly distractions keep you from what is truly important, abiding in Christ and bearing fruit.
Are you bearing fruit? Are you growing in your spiritual walk with Jesus Is your Christian life evident to those around you? Jesus said, “I am the (life) vine; you are the (dead) branches” when you do not abide in Me. Jesus says remember, “apart from me you can do nothing.” Are you abiding in Him?
Read: John 15:1-11 ESV – I Am the True Vine – “I am the true – Bible Gateway
Word for the Soul 