DEVOTION – DAY 590

John 15:1-2 “God Expects Us To Be Fruitful”

John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He 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.”

In the Bible, the vine is often used in the Old Testament as a symbol for Israel. When this image is used, Israel is often found as lacking in some way. But here, in John 15:1-2, Jesus declares He is the true vine – someone who has always led a godly life. Jesus declared that God, the Father is like a gardener who desires all His children to live godly lives and to be fruitful. God wants us all to be channels of His blessings so that unbelievers will be drawn to Him. 

Christians who fail to be fruitful will expect God’s correction when they bear no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit will be pruned. Pruning produces fruitfulness. The image of good fruit points to living a godly life, using spiritual gifts to serve the Lord and so on. 

We know a couple who had wanted to serve God in some way. But despite spending some time in an area of service in church, there were few results to show for all their effort. In time, that area of service was ended as their church did not see any point in continuing. The couple was disappointed. 

They moved to another church and they were soon challenged to start serving in a new area. They agreed by faith to help. This ministry turned out to be very fruitful and it continues to be a vibrant part of church life to this day. Looking back, the couple realized that they were being pruned by the Lord because their old area of service did not suit them. The Lord had to move them out of their comfort zone and gave them a new area to serve. They were glad they obeyed because they were blessed many times over because they bore much fruit.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you because you are always wise and watchful over our lives. Thank you for the times of pruning in our lives, for redirecting us into better areas of service for your glory. Please help us to be fruitful in all that we do for you. In the great name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. Share what areas of service are you in, to build up the body of Christ?
  2. What are your areas of spiritual gifting and how are you using these gifts to serve the Lord?
  3. How have you been fruitful for the Lord?
  4. If you had borne no or few fruits, what is preventing you from being more fruitful and what changes should you make to be more fruitful for the Lord?