John 15: 5 (KJV) - "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
We are continuing in the study of what Abiding in Christ means, we have come to the understanding that abiding in Christ means that a person walks and is in fellowship with Him. We already noted the words of the prophet Amos - "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" If we are in fellowship with God, we are walking with Christ in an intimate and continual way. Our verse minds us that if we are abiding in Christ, we will be fruitful.
Many people discuss what it is that Jesus means when He says that we bear fruit and live a fruitful life. Some say that Jesus is speaking of making other believers, while others say He is speaking of the Fruit of the Spirit. I believe that they are both right. When we consider bearing fruit - I think that as we abide in Christ, we will be seeking to share the gospel and help lead people to the Savior. We will be looking for ways to have the opportunity to converse with people about finding Jesus and accepting His free gift of eternal life. I also believe that we must have a fruitful life - in other words we should be living in such a way that the Fruit of the Spirit (shown in Galatians 5 - we will look at these in the future) shines out of our day-to-day living experiences.
For a person to claim to have fellowship and abide in Christ, and not show forth the Fruit of the Spirit in their lives - well, they might need to do a spiritual checkup. After all, if we are truly dwelling IN Christ, then He will be shining OUT of us.
Muse today over whether the Fruit of the Spirit identifies your life. And if not, if we are failing somewhere in the list, what can we do to allow Jesus to develop what is lacking, and shine through us.
Many people discuss what it is that Jesus means when He says that we bear fruit and live a fruitful life. Some say that Jesus is speaking of making other believers, while others say He is speaking of the Fruit of the Spirit. I believe that they are both right. When we consider bearing fruit - I think that as we abide in Christ, we will be seeking to share the gospel and help lead people to the Savior. We will be looking for ways to have the opportunity to converse with people about finding Jesus and accepting His free gift of eternal life. I also believe that we must have a fruitful life - in other words we should be living in such a way that the Fruit of the Spirit (shown in Galatians 5 - we will look at these in the future) shines out of our day-to-day living experiences.
For a person to claim to have fellowship and abide in Christ, and not show forth the Fruit of the Spirit in their lives - well, they might need to do a spiritual checkup. After all, if we are truly dwelling IN Christ, then He will be shining OUT of us.
Muse today over whether the Fruit of the Spirit identifies your life. And if not, if we are failing somewhere in the list, what can we do to allow Jesus to develop what is lacking, and shine through us.
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