Welcome to Day 5. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 31 Bible Verses About Practicing The Presence Of God. This short devotional is based on John 15:5.
Read John 15:5.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
There is a lot to unpack in this verse!
What does the parable of the vine and the branches mean?
What does abiding mean?
What does it mean to abide in Christ?
And
What does it mean, 'without Me you can do nothing?'
Join me for a short abide in Christ bible study and let's dig up the awesome, pruning treasure that will change us to reflect the Lord's glory and allow us to bear much fruit.
To understand the deep meaning of John 15:5, we need to look at the context of this verse. Jesus was in Jerusalem, speaking to His disciples. He knew that His time on earth was about to come to a close. In fact, a few hours later after speaking these words, Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified. So it was of great importance that Jesus prepares the disciples for His horrifying impending departure from them. And it is of great importance for us to be able to read and learn from the bible about how to abide in Christ, Jesus the true vine.
Make sure you join me in prayer at the end of this devotional bible study.
Abide In Christ Devotional Bible Study
The meaning of the parable of the vine and branches:
The Bible speaks of Israel as being a vine, planted and tended by God. Yet the Bible also tells us that Israel was a rebellious people and did not always seek God or seek to follow His ways. It didn't produce good fruit or respond to God as their gardener. So Jesus came to restore the vine and make it healthy.
In this parable of the vine and the branches, Jesus speaks of Himself as the true vine, the One who will bear good fruit to reflect God's glory.
Jesus is the true fine. We find the true source of life in Him.
Have you ever seen fruit grow apart from the vine, tree or plant, to which it was attached?
No, of course not! It is impossible for that fruit to thrive or even stay alive.
It is the same for us in our walk with Christ. Unless we stay in His presence, we will not grow or bear His fruit. We certainly will not reflect the Lord's glory to the world around us. So make sure you are being nurtured and pruned by Jesus the true vine.
Abide In Christ
What does abiding mean?
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary abiding means, continuing for a long time : ENDURING
The abide bible definition is:
to remain stable or fixed in a state of love that abided with him all his days to continue in a place: SOJOURN will abide in the house of the Lord.
to conform to abide by the rules. to accept without objection: to acquiesce in, will abide by your decision.
Abide in Christ means allowing Jesus to take up residence in your life. It means that you dwell with Him. Just as the vine is nourishment to the fruit on it, Jesus is your source of nourishment. Jesus is the true vine and your source of life. Cultivate your relationship with Him by spending time in His presence, reading your Bible, praying, and singing songs of worship. You won't regret taking time to grow in Christ.
Jesus stated 'abide in me and I in you'. That is such a wonderful promise that as we move closer to Him, He will move closer to us. But there is much more to this promise. Jesus doesn't just move closer to us, He changes us, He causes us to be fruitful if we allow Him to prune us and to get rid of the sinful desires, attitudes, and actions that prevent us from being fruitful in the life that God created us to have.
Did you notice what the biblical definition of abiding stated about rest?
When you and I abide in Christ, we remain in a stable or fixed state. When we keep our eyes fixed on Him it removes our eyes from the problems that concern us and puts them on Jesus who has the wisdom, strength, and ability to cause all things to work out for good. Without God, we can do nothing but with Him, we can do impossible things!
Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing
Apart from God, we can do nothing. That is both a heavy statement and also one that refreshes the soul. If you can comprehend that surrendering to God your life, dreams, and plans is the best option for you, it will lead to an exciting and fulfilling one. But it is a dark and dangerous, worrisome road if you try to live your life without Christ.
A word of warning: I am sure you have discovered this already, that God as your gardener, means that He has to prune our lives. That can be uncomfortable, but if you prayerfully spend time consistently in His presence, you will produce the most delicious fruit that will truly bless our world.
Growing In Christ
Here are some tips to grow in God:
Go to God daily in prayer, become more aware of Him throughout your day, chat with Him and listen for His promptings. That is how you practice the presence of God.
Read Gods' word daily. Have you downloaded any of our devotionals to your phone or tablet? They are brilliant to have on hand when you have unexpected moments in your day when you have a few minutes of spare time to yourself. You can find some free ones HERE.
Activate your faith muscle by trusting God and expecting Him to intervene in your day. Ask Him to help you recognize all that He is doing in your life.
Dive deeper into our 31-day journey of discovering what God reveals about living in His presence with our printable devotional journal!
I've crafted a 31-Day Bible Study printable, featuring 31 powerful scriptures on Practicing The Presence Of God. This printable includes a guided prayer journal, an insightful workbook, and thought-provoking discussion questions designed to deepen your connection with each verse and uncover God's personal message to you.
Don't miss out on this transformative experience! (There is a sample in our Resource Library, so you can try before you buy❤️)
Today's devotional is based on John 15:5 which is from our Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures Plan.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart. Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our bible verse for today, John 15:5.
Scripture Prayer
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. This is a great way to practice the presence of God. Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying John 15:5.
Father thank you for calling me to be in Your presence. I am presenting myself to be cultivated in You. Give me the grace to go through Your pruning process. I want to bear good fruit. I want to display Your glory to the world around me and to bless the people in it with Your bounteous fruit. Amen.
Related Resources:
1. You will find Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures HERE. It will have the list of 31 Bible verses that we are using for 31 days that our short powerful daily devotionals are based on.
2. Do you long for resources to help you grow in faith and know God's hope, peace and strength for your busy life every day? The lifetime access Devotional Bible study bundle is perfect for you (includes current and all our future resources too!)
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xx Karen.
