Praying for you before the sunrise each day is a great privilege. Today I pray that you will experience His lavish love and grace as you spend time with Him in the secret place, desperate for His presence, desperate for His living Word.
In John 15, Jesus speaks to His disciples about abiding. His desire is for us to abide in Him, and He in us. He compares this to a branch abiding in the vine. The lesson of the branch is that as it stays connected to the vine and enjoys the complete life of the vine! The branch cannot exist if it is disconnected from the vine! The nature of the vine is seen in the branch. The evidence of the branch connected to the vine is the fruit. The connected branch is one with the vine and receives all its nutrients, water and resources from it. The purpose of the branch is to bear fruit. So it is with us. As we abide in Him, and He in us, the evidence will be the fruit seen in our lives. His purposes for and through our life will be seen. Fruit is seen. Fruit is experienced. Clearly, we can see in John 15 that our Lord desires that we bear much fruit as we are connected to Him.
The branch doesn't have to beg itself to produce fruit. It simply abides in the life of the vine. The Vinedresser also cares for it, protects it and occasionally prunes it back so it can produce even more fruit. We are in Christ and He is in us. We abide in Him through His Word and prayer and worship. The Holy Spirit abides in us, and as we yield to Him, fruit will be seen in our lives. The fruit is the evidence of a Spirit-led believer. One primary demonstration of the fruit is found in Galations 5:22.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness), self-control."
It's good to check up on our fruit! Today we can ask ourselves, "is the love of God dominating my thoughts and actions toward others?" Is the fruit of peace evident in my life today, even in the midst of the storm. Just as the fruit on a tree is not hidden, this fruit of the Spirit can be clearly seen. How is my patience level toward others? Are kindness and goodness motivating my actions. Am I faithful? Is there a humility or meekness about my life that reflects Christ to the world. Do I exercise self control? The great news is, any area lacking simply requires more yielding to the Holy Spirit. As we decrease, and He increases in our life, His fruit will be seen by all, and will draw others to Him. The abiding Word of God transforms us. Time in His presence transforms us. A lifestyle of prayer, praise and worship transforms us. As we learn the lesson of abiding in Him, He is committed to fruit being produced in our lives. He gave all to redeem us, now He gives all to see us conformed to His image and fulfill His purposes. He beckons us to this abiding life in Him!
The evidence of our abiding life in Christ can be seen and experienced. The evidence is the fruit. Less of us, more of Him. Magnificent!
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