Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Back in the 80s, Wendy’s aired a commercial with the slogan “Where’s the beef?” As I read through John 15, I can almost hear the old lady in that Wendy’s commercial ask in the same tone, “Where’s the fruit?”

In John 15, Jesus continues expanding on the concept of love being shown through full obedience. He quickly points to the fact that full obedience cannot be attained by our own strength or willpower. Instead, we, the branches, must be connected and stay connected to Jesus, the true vine, who gives us all that we need in order to live a life of obedience displayed by the good fruit that we bear.

To expand on this “true vine” concept a little, the vine represented the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. Psalms 80:8 shows how God transplanted the vine (Israel) from Egypt and planted it in the promised land in order to bear good fruit. Instead of producing good fruit, the Israelites did the opposite; we see God’s condemnation of this nation in Isaiah 5:1-7 and Ezekiel 19:10-14. When Jesus declared Himself the True Vine, it was a game-changer! The new covenant is about to be ushered in by His death, burial, and resurrection. Only He can supply us with the supernatural power that we need to bear fruit which ultimately glorifies God as we show ourselves to be true disciples of Christ.

What Jesus said in Matthew 7:17-18 parallels what He said in the first eight verses of John 15. For Jesus to say in Matthew 7:18 that a good tree CANNOT bear bad fruit is a powerful statement based not on our ability to pull this off but solely on His. At this point, you may be asking, “How do I distinguish good fruit from bad fruit?” The answer to that question is found in Galatians. Bad fruit is listed in Galatians 5:19. Good fruit is listed in Galatians 5:22.

Too often it seems we know people or hear testimonies of people who at least claim to have been redeemed but continue living in a way that doesn’t look any different. It’s clear from John 15 that it’s not because Jesus does not have the power to completely transform our lives. It could be that the genuineness or sincerity of our faith is lacking. It could also be that we don’t know the next step to take.

At one time early in my Christian walk, I found that the latter was true. I would get frustrated when hearing the terms “disciple” or “discipleship” because I felt I didn't have a good road map to follow on how to be a disciple or how to disciple others. John 15:5 gives the answer to what once seemed to me to be a hidden secret. True disciples don’t come to the Vine as a one-time event. True disciples REMAIN in the Vine!

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Review the list of bad (flesh) fruit and good (spiritual) fruit in Galatians 5:19, 22. Based on the fruit you are currently producing, would you say that you are connected to the Vine?
• Part of being a true disciple is to embrace community. Are you part of a House Church? If not, sign up now at www.venturechurch.org/housechurch.
• Read John 15:16 again. If you’ve been redeemed, Jesus has appointed you to GO and BE his disciple. Is something holding you back? Remember Jesus' love is greater!

Family Devo: John 15

By: Carrington Stuart

Today’s story from the Book of John includes a parable. A parable is a story that Jesus uses to teach us a lesson! This parable is a really good one. Let’s read it together!

Jesus’ parable is about a vine, some branches, and a gardener. When plants are growing (like vines), gardeners sometimes have to cut off some branches that are dead and making the plant grow more slowly. Even though they may not look dead on the outside, these branches are hurting the plant! The gardener knows that it may be hard for the plant to grow new branches, but the plant will grow so much faster after the bad branches are gone!

Sometimes, the gardener has to trim the branches, too. Even though the branches might not need to be completely cut off, they need to be trimmed so the fruit can grow and the plant can stay strong! If plants aren’t healthy and strong, they usually have to get thrown away.

Just like the gardener in this parable, God takes care of us and helps us to grow! He takes away the things in our life that hurt us and He makes room for more good things to come. We are like the plants in this story. Sometimes God has to take some things away from us that are hurting us, like sins, that make it harder for us to grow. Other times, God may have to teach us lessons so that we can be stronger and make good decisions. When we make good decisions and listen to God, we can make other people happy too, just like fruit from plants makes people happy!

Jesus tells this story because He wants us to trust God and always listen to Him. Even though it may not always be easy to obey God, and we may want to do what we think is best, keeping God’s commandments is always the best thing to do. He loves us so much, and wants us to be happy and healthy so we can grow strong! It’s our job to help others learn about God so they can be strong, too.

• What are some things that God needs to take away so that you can grow (being angry, not obeying, being afraid, etc.)? What are some good things that happen in your life when you obey God (peace, love, happiness, etc.)? Who can you pray for this week that needs God to help them grow?
• Prayer: God, thank You so much for being like the gardener in this parable. You always take care of me, and You know exactly what I need to grow big and strong. I know that it won’t always be easy to obey all of Your commandments, but I also know that You will help me. Thank You for sending Jesus to be a good example for me and teaching me how to love others. Help me to be a good example and tell others about You. I love you, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.