It all Starts in Abiding in Christ

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John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

When you read John 15:1-12, there seems like a cycle going on that can be expressed as shown in the photo in today’s devotional. In other words, as you abide, you bear much fruit. This leads to love which is the fruit of the Spirit. Love fulfills the law and the commandment of Jesus. And as we keep His commandment to love we abide in Him. As we abide in Him, we bear fruit… etc etc.

But here is the point… Where does this cycle start? Is it a chicken-and-egg situation? Some preachers may start with Jesus’ command to keep His commandments. They may stress that only if we do that will we abide in Him. But that is the WRONG place to start. Without Him, we can do nothing as we have seen and this includes keeping His commandments! Start at the top – Abide in Him. Be in fellowship and dependence upon Him and things will progress nicely as they should. It will be a life based on grace and not law, and lasting fruit will be the result!