Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Connected to the Vine


Philippians 1:9-11 “It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

read an interesting take on this great Bible passage: The unique phrase “fruit of righteousness” has many supporting teachings, the most famous of which is where the Lord Jesus compares Himself to a “vine” and we who are His adopted sons and daughters to “branches” in John 15:1-6. Paul reminded the Philippian church that the fruits ultimately result from Jesus Christ, just as Jesus illustrated. We “cannot bear fruit” by ourselves. Not only does our very life come from God, but the ability to produce godly fruit can only come through and by God. 

Isaiah 64:6 noted that all of our self-produced righteous deeds are like “filthy rags”. The fruit for which we are “ordained” has its source in the thrice-holy Godhead and its manifestation by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,  self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Those Holy Spirit character traits are the innate property of the vine that becomes instilled in the branches, or us. This enables us to bring forth the fruit that represents the “DNA” of the vine in which we are abiding. Being connected to the vine makes it possible for us to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” – Colossians 1:10.


God the Father is superintending the vineyard. When branches wither and do not produce fruit, they are taken away. The branches that do produce are pruned (the Greek word ”kathairo”, “cleaned up”). As Peter noted in 1 Peter 1:3, “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness”. Connected to the vine with the Lord God, “all things are possible”, which includes fruit of righteousness. Without Him, “we can do nothing”.

Get and stay connected to the vine and bear good fruit.

Blessings

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