Agapé 11

Bearing Fruit

If we have received Jesus Christ into our hearts, then we are in a marriage covenant with Him. We are one spirit with Him. Bone of His bones. Flesh of His flesh. In time, our union will result in “spiritual children”. Children with names such as Love, Joy, Peace etc. Jesus used another illustration to make this same point…

John 15:1, 4-5 ESV
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. … Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Have you ever seen a branch struggle, toil and strive to bear fruit? No! It is the natural consequence of its relationship to the vine (or trunk). As long as the branch remains plugged into the trunk, it will bear fruit effortlessly. The branch doesn’t even produce the fruit. It simply bears and carries the fruit. What a deal!

Everything that is needed for the production of fruit is contained in the roots and the trunk of the tree, or the vine of the plant. The required nutrients and water are sucked up through the roots and carried through the trunk or the vine. Because the branch is attached to the trunk or vine, the nutrients and water flow into it.

The key for the branch is to simply stay connected. If it does, then it will receive a constant flow of everything that it needs. And the natural by-product will be fruit. The branch will bear fruit effortlessly. No struggle. No toil. No striving. But if it gets disconnected from the trunk or vine, then it is absolutely impossible for it to bear fruit. No matter how hard it tries. The branch does not have the ability to produce fruit by itself.

Abide, remain, continue… Union, oneness, relationship… These are all words that describe the single most important objective, and the most necessary pursuit, of a branch with respect to its vine. And they are also words that describe our single most important objective and necessary pursuit with respect to our True Vine, Jesus Christ. If we abide, remain and continue in union, oneness and relationship with Him, then we will bear much fruit. But without Him we can do nothing. If we get disconnected, then it is impossible to bear any fruit.

John 15:8 ESV
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Our Heavenly Father is glorified and honoured when we bear much fruit. He delights in our fruitfulness. Bearing much fruit even proves that we are disciples of Jesus. But what exactly is the “much fruit” that glorifies our Father and proves that we are Jesus’ disciples?

John 13:34-35 NKJV
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

The fruit of a tree contains the nature of the tree it comes from. It contains seeds that have the same DNA as the tree it was produced by. These seeds produce the same kind of tree. And so, we even give the tree and its fruit the same name. What would you expect to find on the branches of an apple tree? Apples, of course. Now what if there were a tree called a “Love Tree”? What would you expect to find on the branches of this tree?

Jesus is this “Love Tree”. The fruit of this tree is love. The fruit contains the nature of the tree. And the fruit of love contains the fullness of the nature of Jesus. Galatians 5:22-23 says that the fruit of the Spirit is love… It goes on to list 8 more things. All of these things – joy, peace, longsuffering etc. – are found in the fruit of love.

John 15:9 NKJV
As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

Praying for you …

Peter

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