When you abide in the vine, fruit grows!

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:5-7 KJV)

You get to choose! 

This promise has both positives and negatives, and you get to choose what part you get. Jesus says He is "the vine" and you are "the branches". If you will abide in (receive, obey, follow, adhere to) Him, something wonderful will then happen, you will "produce much fruit". But, on the other hand, (the negative part) if you do not abide in Him, you will wither, die, and you will be "cast into the fire!" So, it's a no brainier, abide!

And another wonderful promise is added at the end of this passage. Jesus said, "if my Words abide in you, ask what you will and it shall be given into you". This promise tells you how important it is to have the Word of God abiding within you and what it will do! It will allow you to "ask God what you will, and it shall be given to you!" Wow, what a promise! Another no brainier about what to do.

 Learn to cling!

Understand that what Jesus is saying to do here is not really difficult! Simply, abide in Him (cling to the branch, so to speak) and then have His Word abide in you.

No downside! 

Actually, when you think about "abiding in Jesus," there just isn't a downside to it! Fruit is produced in your life, when you sow, and what you ask for, you will get! Not a bad deal at all.

 The old oak tree!

As I was pondering this passage about abiding in the vine, I remembered an unusual old oak tree that grew near where I lived as a child. It did not drop its leaves in the fall like other trees did.  Instead, its old dead leaves just hung onto that tree all winter long. But, not to worry! Because, in the Spring, when new life started to flow up within and through the trunk of the tree, into all the branches, and into every twig on the tree, the old dead leaves just fell off, and were replaced with beautiful new buds and leaves! In exactly the same way, as we abide in Jesus, those old, hard-to-budge sins that we sometimes deal with as human beings, just like those old dried leaves on the oak tree, just fall away, as the Holy Spirit flows into and through us and produces, "the fruit of the Spirit."(Gal. 5:22-23). And, I cannot think of a better way to deal with such things.