“5I 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.” – John 15:5 (ESV)
Notice the verse above, do you see both sides of the coin? In order for us to do great in God’s work, we have to abide in Him and God must abide in us. I will say that I have known and liked this verse since I was a teenager, and have just realized the magnitude of that fact. Both have to be true and we must work with God to accomplish His work.
“4Abide 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.” – John 15:4 (ESV)
“2Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2 (ESV)
I have given the two verses above in reverse order to give more punch to them. We need God to complete His work. When we are fruitful, God will refine us even more to make way for even more fruit. When we are not fruitful, God will simply remove us.
We are to abide with God and in Him as He abides with and in us. Together we accomplish His work and provide great fruit.
Are you abiding in God? Is He abiding in you? Are you abiding with God to bear fruit?
Trevor's Thoughts 