"I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser.2.Any branch in me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts off (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.3. You are cleaned and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you)4.Dwell in me and I will dwell in you (live in me and I will live in you). Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. 5.I am the vine; you are the branches. Whosoever lives in me and I in him bears much(abundant) fruit. However, apart from me(cut off from the vital union with me) you can do nothing"(John 15:1-5 Amplified).
In the last week, a couple of storms came through a large part of the country and cut off our power. I don't know about you, but I found that there were a lot of things that I could not do without power, like take a shower or write this blog. Our spiritual life is much the same as electric power. Just as many of the machines we use can not work without being connected to the grid. We, too, can not do many things unless we are connected to Jesus.
What are those things, you ask. Things like having God's love for others. We see what that love is to look like in I Cor. 13:4-13. Let's look at that. "Love endures long, and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealously, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. it is not concieted (arrogant and inflated with pride): it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not selfseeking; it is not touchy or freitful or resentful; it takes not account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong).it does not rejoice at injustice and unrightousness, but rejoices when right aand truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, it hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything (without weakening). Love never fails(never faides out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end)." I Cor. 13:2, says that without love, we are nothing, and verse three tells us that anything we do without God's love gains us nothing. So we can see that love is important, but remember we can not truly have God's love unless we are connected to Jesus.
Another thing we cannot do, if, we are not connected to Jesus, is bear good spiritual fruit. We see this in John 15:2-4. And when we do bear fruit, He will continue to cleanse and prune us so that we can bear even better fruit!
So with this all in mind, let us make sure that we are connected to the power source of our spiritual lives- Jesus.
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