Scripture: John 15:4

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Responsibility... Now there's a topic that will be sure to curdle the blood of every teenager whose eyes cross this page! And before we're done, we might actually cause a flinch or two from those "mature" adults, as well. You see, we all enjoy the benefits of our abilities to be responsible, but perhaps few of us really know what God expects from us... thereby limiting those very benefits we enjoy. Allow me to explain...

John 15:4 clearly tells us, in the words of Jesus Himself, what our role is as Christians. He uses the visual aid of vines and branches, and in John 15:1 says that He (Jesus) is the true vine, and that God the Father is the gardener. (Watch out for the pruning shears!)

And in verse 5, He spells it out bluntly, just in case you did not get the point of the last few verses. Bottom line - we are the branches. And as such, according to John 15:4, we have a clear cut responsibility. But it is not what most people think.

You see, most people think that it is the Christian's responsibility to bear fruit. They will cite various verses, perhaps the most popular is James 2:26b... "so faith without deeds is dead". And lest you think that I am trying to rock the boat of evangelical Christianity, allow me to reiterate my whole-hearted support of 100% of the Word of God.

That notwithstanding, John 15:4 clearly teaches us that our job description - our responsibility as Christians is to "remain in Him". And if you follow that thought, it really stands to reason, we cannot bear fruit in and of ourselves. Apart for the true vine, the source of our sustenance, we are worthless, and incapable of bearing fruit. Without Christ, we are like the branch that bears no fruit, and verse 2 tells us that lines us up for being "cut off".

However, if we do our part... if we obey the command of the Lord, and rise to meet our responsibility as Christians by remaining in Christ... we can also expect the gardener to come by occasionally and gives us a prune job.

Why in the world should we look forward to a "spiritual clipping"? The Word tells us that we will produce even more fruit if we endure such things. Perhaps by now, if you have followed the course of my series of devotionals here at the Lighthouse, you will begin to see that my life, open for public examination, is one filled with "pruning" after "pruning". However, it is also one, from my perspective, that has borne much fruit.

I am, by no means, perfect. However, I continue to understand more and more every day about what it is to comprehend, and then respond to our spiritual obligations and responsibilities, according to the Word. This much is true... He is faithful to His Word, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. These promises are as genuine as they come, and so... if we but remain in Him, the Great Gardener will be the one to bring about the fruit in our lives!

Copyright © 1996 Eric S. Reamer, all rights reserved

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