Tuesday, October 18, 2005

The Vine and the Branches

John 15:1-17

1. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

2. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes [a] so that it will be even more fruitful.

3. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

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.

5. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

6. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

7. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

8. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

10. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

11. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

12. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

13. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

14. You are my friends if you do what I command.

15. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

16. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

17. This is my command: Love each other.

Footnotes:

[a] John 15:2 The Greek for prunes also means cleans.


God Bless You & Yours -
Countess

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello Countess! I hope all is well with you, and that you are feeling better.
Many times when I am tempted to have a "pity party" or I get depressed, I think about Job and the things he went through. If any one had the right to be depressed it was he!
When you have the time, read the entire book of Job.

Luminous (\รด/) Luciano™ said...

Concerned in Texas - you surely are not a Jehovah's Witness, to recommend to read an entire book - and not merely one verse here and another verse there... *lol*

So many names in the Bible are just too coincidentally meaningful to us today for it to be mere coincidence - the parable of the TALENTS... the many trials of JOB... anything can be given a new meaning and be applied to our modern-day predicaments, with the greatest of ease!

Proof positive that the Bible applies to us - today! :)

Blog on Countess! (((hugs)))

Anonymous said...

Ahh, I love John 15! Truly what a privilege it is to abide and remain in Jesus! There is nothing like coming into agreement with the Lord, it is a beautiful thing.

Thank you for this post. God bless you!