“I am the True Vine.” John 15:1
This statement is an extension of Jesus’ previous statement of being the Way, the Truth and the Life. Any religion that is not rooted in the complete teaching of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is not from God, and will not bear the fruit that comes from the root.
What is the fruit? It is becoming more and more like Jesus in His mission and lifestyle. Jesus came to do the will of God the Father. He lived a life of total obedience to the Father’s will. Later on in this chapter, Jesus says that those who love Him will keep His commandments. This is fruit bearing. But notice the order of the words – love then obey.
Christianity is not a list of rules that you have to follow to gain God’s favour. It is a relationship that is birthed in God’s love for us and grows as we love Him. The evidence of this love is that we will want to do what He wants. This is clearly seen in every human relationship. When you really love someone, you want to do what pleases them and makes them happy. God is love. It’s not that He is loving, but He is the complete revelation of what love is. There is no higher love than God’s love, and those who are rooted in Him will want the things He wants and will seek to do them.
There are times when our will clashes with God’s will. This is the time when our love for God must overcome our love for ourselves. The result of this will be more fruit. As human beings with an ever-present sinful nature, we want to be part of the decision-making process with regards to how we live our lives. There are times when we want to do things our way. That will lead to dryness in our relationship with God, and dryness will lead to death if it is not dealt with. Anyone who has fallen away from God would be able to trace things back to a period of time where they wanted their will more than God’s and the sap of life flowing from the root was stopped. Instead of returning to their first love for Christ, they walked on in their love for themselves and eventually their love and obedience to Him dried up and they withered in their faith. It is a tragedy.
At times we can struggle to see God’s love; when someone we’ve been praying for dies, or our finances are so tight that we suffer hunger and cold, or when we hear of Christians being persecuted and imprisoned for their faith. That is the time to dig our heels deep into our love for God and refused to be moved. We will never know why God allows certain things to happen, but we can know that “all things work together for good, for those who love Him” Romans 8:28.
Be firmly rooted in God’s love and He will give you the ultimate fruit of your faith – a place in Heaven where you will see the Lover of your soul face to face.