Marie’s daily verse: Psalm 3:3-4: 

But you, O Lord, are a shield for me,my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. 

DAILY DEVOTION, April 23, 2024

“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 a very “fruitful” verse! First, we note Jesus’s preeminence. He is the vine, which nourishes the branches. If a branch is severed from the vine, it dies. If we are separated from Christ, we die spiritually. The branches do not control the vine. We are not in charge of our lives. Jesus is.

John stresses that we are to abide in Christ. Literal branches have no free will to determine how they relate to the vine. It is different for us. We can choose to abide (remain) in Christ or “branch” out on our own. We abide in Christ by faith. As we trust in Jesus, His life flows into us. We stay “attached” to Jesus as long as faith remains alive.

If you wonder, “Is my faith genuine?” John provides the answer. Those who truly abide in Christ bear much fruit. What is the fruit of the Christian life? In Galatians, Paul defines spiritual fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control. In other words, we begin to look a little like Jesus. We become decent, loving people. Joy and peace flood our souls. We are characterized by kindness. We live life striving to be faithful to Jesus. We are patient people (I’m still working on that!).

Am I abiding in Christ? The answer is revealed in our daily lives.

Heavenly Father, I do trust in Jesus. I rejoice that the signs of spiritual fruit are present in my life. I also confess that I have a lot of growing to do. I pray that I will live close to Jesus, ever trusting in Him, and more spiritual fruit will become evident. In His holy name, I pray. Amen.