“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers.” John 15:5-6 HCSB
Last year I planted some small mums on each side of our driveway. This year they grew to be three to four times bigger than when they were first planted. Their branches were weighted with beautiful yellow blooms. One Wednesday October night I rolled the trash can to the end of the driveway for pick up the next morning as usual. The next day the trash men emptied the trash and without taking care, they tossed the can back toward the driveway where it hit one of the plants and severed a stem that had several blooms on it. Within a day the stem had withered and died. It did not produce any more blooms because it received no further nourishment from the plant. Consequently, I had no option but to discard the withered branch.
As believers we must stay connected to Jesus if we are going to produce any fruit. The fruit mentioned here is more than just evangelism and bringing others to Christ. This Scripture also refers to the fruit of the Spirit that is mentioned in Galatians 5:22-24: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As we remain in Christ and His teachings, we can produce fruit that brings honor and glory to God’s kingdom.
Challenge: Are you producing fruit or are you withering? Review the fruits mentioned in Galatians and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being low and 5 being high on how well you are doing with each fruit. What can you do to remain in Christ and produce more fruit for Him? The closer you stay to Christ, the more fruit you will produce.