“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NLT)

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that even though He was leaving them, their connection would never be cut. The image He used is a vine and its branches. Jesus is the true vine. His followers are the branches.

You don’t have to be a master gardener to know that the branches of a vine can’t survive and thrive unless they’re connected to the vine. And we can’t survive and thrive spiritually unless we stay connected to Jesus. He gives us the spiritual nourishment we need to produce good fruit in our lives.

Not all fruit is good. Jesus made that clear in His confrontations with the Jewish religious leaders. These respected men appeared to live very fruitful lives. They worked hard to seem pious. They built their reputations on fulfilling the smallest details of the law. They guarded religious traditions and attacked anyone who challenged their authority.

What appeared to be fruit in their lives, however, was rotten. It wasn’t nourished by the true vine. Jesus said, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’” (Matthew 15:7–8 NLT).

The religious leaders wanted people to think that they were close to God, but their hearts were disconnected from Him. Somewhere along the way, they became more concerned about looking like they were producing spiritual fruit than actually producing it.

What they didn’t realize is that we can’t grow spiritual fruit on our own. All we can do is stay connected to the true vine. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me” (verse 4 NLT). Spiritual disciplines such as Bible study, prayer, quiet times, and sharing our faith keep us connected to Jesus. If we make them part of our daily routine, we will see spiritual fruit grow.

An amazing thing happens when we start to bear spiritual fruit. Jesus said, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more” (verses 1–2 NLT). God created us. He knows what we’re capable of producing. He can see the areas where we’re blossoming. And He can see the areas where growth and yield aren’t happening.

If we stay connected to Jesus, the true vine, God will help us cut away the unproductive areas of our lives, the things that keep us from producing even more fruit. God, the Master Gardener, will help us increase our spiritual yield. That, in turn, will draw us closer to Jesus. And the cycle continues.

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