How do you obtain spiritual fruits? Jesus teaches us about this very clearly: abide in Him. Let’s take a look.
John 15:1-8 [NIV]
1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5″I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
God the Father is the gardener. He holds the standard to judge the quality of the fruits. He will prune the vine so that what is left will bear fruit.
Jesus Christ is the vine. He is the source of all nourishment and only through abiding in the vine can any branch bear fruit.
We as the branches are given life so that we bear much fruit. We can only do so if we remain attached to the vine.
How to abide in Him then? He gives clear instruction in the following discourse:
John 15:9-17 [NIV]
9″As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
Remain in His love and love one another. This will show unto the world that we are His disciples.
This is _Part 2_ in the series Spiritual Gifts and Fruits. To continue with this series, click on Pt 3. To use this as a growth tool to better understand your own calling, you might start by reading the explanation of this series and Pt 1.
Photo credit: Leonard John Matthews