“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit… Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me… If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:1-2, 4, 7 NKJV).
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples not long before He was crucified. The disciples were distraught. They had followed Jesus for three years. Now their world was about to be turned upside down. Jesus understood their feelings. Because the world hated Him, it would hate His disciples as well. Their lives would constantly be at risk. In John 14, however, He promised that they would not be left alone. The Holy Spirit would be given to them.
Jesus used the illustration of the vine and the branches to describe Himself as the “True Vine,” God as the vinedresser, and His followers as the “branches.” His main message was that they should “abide in Him” as a branch abides on the vine. Only then would they be able to bear fruit.
The fruit that grows from abiding in Christ can be seen in what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit — “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). When exhibiting these characteristics, it is not hard to identify one who is abiding in Christ.
God, the Vinedresser or gardener, tends to the vineyard. He prunes the branches to keep them healthy so they can bear more fruit. Pruning means trimming or cutting off unproductive branches. When we are spiritually hindered, whether by good or bad habits, God often prunes us through trials and hardships to make us healthy and able to bear more fruit. While His discipline may seem painful, it is always for our good and His honor and glory. He wants us to remain in Him; that is how much He loves us. As we abide in Him, so He abides in us!
We must remember that Jesus said, “without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). As a branch cut off from the vine receives no life-giving fluid and is rendered useless, so are we no longer useful if we do not remain in Christ.
When we are truly abiding in Christ, and our wills and desires line up with His, we are told that anything we ask for, He will give it to us. That promise is also given in 1 John 3:21-22 (NIV1984) that “…if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” As someone said, “This verse is not a blank check to ask for selfish desires. The reason we receive what we ask is because our actions are aligned with His commandments.”
We abide in Christ through continuous prayer and an active Christian walk. It doesn’t happen with just casual prayer, effortless Bible reading, or even church attendance. It happens from a daily life lived for Jesus.
The song “Abide” captures that prayerful dependence well, asking the Lord to draw us close and teach us to abide. That should be our prayer, too — that Christ would remain our strength, our treasure, and our source of life.
“You’re the Way, the Truth, and the Life / You’re the Well that never runs dry / I’m the branch and You are the vine / Draw me close and teach me to abide / Be my strength, my song in the night / Be my all, my treasure, my prize / I am yours, forever you’re mine / Draw me close and teach me to abide” (“Abide” by Aaron Keyes / Aaron Williams / Jake Fauber).
