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. 5 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.
I love the troubleshooting guides that come with appliances for when they cease working. The first tip is to see if the appliance is plugged into a power source. It is a ridiculous exercise but it is there because it commonly happens and I am fairly certain it has happened to me. The appliance can scarcely be expected to work unless it is plugged in. So it is with the follower of Christ. Just as a branch lying on the ground will not bear fruit because it is not connected to the tree, so, a Christian will not produce real fruit unless they are connected to the Vine, who is Jesus Christ.
We must run on Holy Spirit power or it will be our poor effort producing poor results. That is why we need to be mindful of that when we look at the world today. It is just as silly to expect Christian behavior from unbelievers as it is to expect ice from a disconnected icemaker. A disconnected disciple maker will not make disciples, nor can they truly love their neighbor. If we are not productive, these verses are our troubleshooting guide. Is the follower plugged in? If not, Jesus says, you can do nothing.
Dear Lord, thank you for the power source that comes from our connection to you. May we abide in you today and invite our friends to visit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church