His Encouragement #25

Happy Thursday! I am blessed to be a part of a group of bloggers who feel led to share a bit of encouragement each week from the Bible. We recognize that the source of our peace, strength, and security in this life comes from Jesus, and we aim to share that with our readers. Plus, when Thursday comes around, we can all use a little encouragement right? I hope that this posting blesses you and that you find strength and peace in the Lord today ❤

This week it’s on my heart to share:

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.

~John 15:5

This is one of my favorite verses. It’s one I hear quoted often. A branch is part of the tree, but it’s not where the life comes from. If it falls off it will die because there are no roots to dig into the ground and supply the branch with roots. Jesus is our lifeblood. We can’t do anything without him. Bearing fruit comes naturally when we are connected to the vine and it’s proof of our belonging. Our fruit isn’t proof of what we have done ourselves, but what Christ has done in us and through us. Even the good we do, could not be done without the life we have received through Jesus. No matter what we do in this life, God gets the glory. We owe all to Him.

While there’s a lot that can be gleamed, there are two things that came to my mind today for this verse. The first thing is about sharing Jesus with others and being rejected. When we think about it in our own strength, it can be disappointing and we can wonder what we are doing wrong. While it’s important to think about how we are approaching others, it’s also important to remember that God is the one who ultimately changes hearts. When someone rejects what we share it doesn’t mean that we aren’t bearing fruit or that we aren’t successful in our duties. We should still be praying for those people, but we in ourselves are not responsible for their salvation.

The other thing I was thinking about is that our fruit is not only a product of our connection to the vine, but the evidence of it. Not only that, but the quality of our fruit as well. The more connected to the vine we are, the more life flows through us and better fruit is produced. If we aren’t fully connected, then we are thirsty for more and unable to produce good fruit. It’s important to look within ourselves to make sure that if anything is trying to get in our way of our connection to the vine- that we cut it off instead of letting it suck the life away from us. Spending too much time in front of the TV or on your phone? Hanging out with the wrong group of friends? Choosing sleep over church? Ignoring your Bible instead of taking time to read it? There are things that aren’t necessarily bad in themselves, but if they start to affect our walk, then it’s time to make some tough decisions. There are many things in this life that are optional, but our life in Christ should be our priority.

This week I’m ending with the song True Vine by Gateway Fellowship Church. It’s a new-to-me song that I discovered while looking for a song to go with the message this week, but feel like it’s a great one to share. I hope you take a moment to listen to it and meditate on the lyrics. Have a blessed rest of the week!

 

Now, it’s your turn!

What Biblical verse is encouraging you today?

And, check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Nicole @ Christian Fiction Girl

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

Jenny @ Author Jenny Lynn

Gina @ Stories By Gina

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole