Thrive In the Vine By Abiding in the Vine (John 15)

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”– John 15:7-8 NKJV

How do we thrive in the vine? Let’s start by defining the word thrive. It means to flourish (grow vigorously), prosper (to be successful or make steady progress), to progress toward (to realize a goal despite or because of circumstances).

I think the verses in Psalm 1:1-3 best describes how we thrive in the vine, the vine being Jesus. In this passage of scripture, it illustrates a tree being both fruitful and flourishing. When our roots are planted deep into the soil of God’s Word, we are positioned to be nourished by Him. This is abiding in the vine. We will not wither but thrive in the vine, Jesus.

“Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, And on His Law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” – Psalm 1:1-3 NASB

Positioned for Fruitfulness and Flourishing

A tree requires healthy components and specific atmospheric conditions to thrive. In the same way, we need a healthy spirit and soul. Additionally, we need to position ourselves in a safe environment, continually taking in the “nutrients” (truths) of the Word, and submit to the Gardner’s (Holy Spirit) pruning to grow into spiritual maturity. When our roots are planted deep into the soil of God’s Word, then we are positioned to be nourished by Him.

Growing Without Hindrance

Have you ever wondered or felt that you have stop growing in your walk with God? We will stop thriving (growing without hindrance) when we are stagnant.

Some examples that cause spiritual stagnancy are apathy toward God, not dealing with hurt or offense, or being distrustful of God. In John 15:1-8 it tells us that God prunes us and cuts away things that no longer bear the kind of fruit He desires us to show. This cutting away is often painful and not understood at first. Growing in Christ isn’t all painful purging. Although this is only one aspect of the pruning process, it is necessary for us to grow into the fruit-bearing believers Christ wants us to be. We need to trust His process.

Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.”

Our main scripture reference states that we are disciples if we bear much fruit. The product of our lives and thriving in the vine shows our connectedness to Jesus. If you want to know if you are abiding in the vine and thriving, just look at the fruit that you are bearing. Jesus said, “you will know them by their fruit.”

Our fruit and the abundance of it identifies us and glorifies God. It matters to God that we are producing fruit. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus made it very clear that the doers of God’s will, not just the professors of His Word, enter the kingdom of heaven.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21 NKJV

“Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruit.” – Matthew 7:20 AMPC

We often think of fruit as something we eat. While that is true, in this case, fruit is speaking of how a tree or vine reproduces. The seed is in the fruit. We need to examine our own fruit and see if it is good. Bumper stickers on cars are a good example. The stickers may say that the driver is a Christian, but what kind of fruit do they bear in traffic? How do they react to other drivers that cut them off? Our actions are a true sign of who we are. We can carry around a big Bible to church, or have on Christian jewelry, and t-shirts yet still not produce any good fruit.

We must be concerned about producing the FRUIT of the Holy Spirit, because that is what the Holy Spirit is concerned about. The Holy Spirit’s main purpose is making us His home to continually work His fruit in us and display it through us. The Holy Spirit was sent to help us bear good fruit. I encourage you to examine your own fruit regularly. If any of it is diseased or rotten, ask the Gardner to help you get rid of it and produce a new crop. Trust me, HE will gladly do it.

“For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building.” – 1 Corinthians 3:9 AMPC

Fruit That Remains

Have you ever seen fruit that grows apart from the vine, tree or plant to which it is attached? Of course not! As a disciple of Jesus, the same is true for us. Unless we stay in His presence, abiding in the vine, we will not grow or bear fruit. The word abide means to dwell; to endure, remain, cling, be present or to take up residence. Allow Jesus to take up residence in your life. Just as the vine is the source of nourishment and wealth for the fruit, Jesus is our source of life. We must cultivate an ever-growing relationship with Him by spending time in prayer, reading and studying His Word.

Do you know if we consistently believe God’s Word, circumstances can turn from negative to positive? The word says in Isaiah 61:3, He gives “Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;” and it goes on to say that they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

You might be thinking, well Tracey, you don’t know all that has happened to me in my life. I don’t need to know all that has happened to you. I know a loving Father that if you believe and stand on His word, you too can receive beauty for ashes! You can have joy instead of mourning! The provision has been made but the choice is ours to choose to believe.

God wants us to depend entirely on HIM. He wants us to lean on, trust in and rely on Him. That is faith. We are partners with God and that means we both have responsibility, us and God. Our part is to lean on Him and follow the instructions that He gives.

Sometimes we may think that we don’t need God’s help with things we have done repeatedly and successfully. Why would we need help with something we already know we can do, right? It is dangerous to become self-reliant. The book of proverbs speaks frequently of the self-confident fool. People who think they are self-sufficient and can take care of themselves are being foolish—and eventually that will be proven to everyone, including themselves.

An independent attitude is part of the baby stage of Christianity. A mature Christian knows that they can do nothing of any real value apart from Jesus. Of course, we can do things, but will they be done right or will we even enjoy them. Or will they be things that will produce any lasting fruit.

We need to invite Jesus into everything. His presence can eliminate much of the struggle we experience in life. He makes impossible things possible, hard things easy and frustrating things peaceful. Do not ever be afraid to say, “Help Lord Jesus, I can’t do this without You!”

Related: Trusting the Good Shepherd

The word “abide” stresses consistency. Going through spells where we really seek God will not substitute for abiding in God. This is one major reason why more Christians don’t experience the abundant life that Jesus came to bring (John 10:10). Most people only really abide in Jesus when the going gets tough. Then when the pressure lets up, they relax and go back to doing their own thing, and that accelerates the next crisis. The moment we think that way, we are no longer abiding (clinging to, trusting) in the vine, and we become fruitless if we persist in that mindset.

There is a great relief if we understand what it means to abide in Christ, and apply it properly. It puts all the responsibility on Jesus. Our only responsibility is to respond to His ability. Just like we have never seen a branch travailing to bring forth fruit, all we need to do is labor to rest (trust and depend) completely on Jesus as our source (Hebrews 4:11).

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” – Hebrews 4:11 NKJV

If we abide in Him, fruit is natural. Most Christians know they need to abide in the Lord more, but they don’t feel they have the time. If we would see ourselves as worthless, as a detached branch without Jesus, we would make the time. The more demands we have on us, the more we need to abide in Jesus. Thriving in the vine demands intimacy that cannot be achieved without time spent alone with Jesus. We must also learn to be in communion with Him during our daily activities. Communion is the interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions: intimate communication.

In Psalm 91:1, the Lord promises divine blessing and intervention to those who DWELL in the secret place of the Almighty. As a branch cannot just abide in the vine for fifteen minutes at a time, we can’t think a fifteen-minute devotional is the same as abiding in the vine. We can’t just visit the Lord. We must dwell in His presence. It is true that without Jesus, we can do nothing. But it is also true that we are never without Him (Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 13:5).

“‘teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” – Matthew 28:20 NKJV

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” – Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

Our failures can be a result of not abiding in Christ, the Vine. When we unplug from the source of all our strength and blessings (God), we become unfruitful.

It is not promised that if we meet certain conditions, the Lord will grant any request, even if it doesn’t line up with His Word. When we are abiding in Jesus and His words are abiding in us, our desires change. This is not promising that God will change to accommodate us, but rather this is a statement that we will change to accommodate God.

A true disciple of Jesus is one that bears much fruit. Those who are not bearing much fruit are not yet disciples. Compare this with John 8:31-32, which says that if we continue in His Word then are we His disciples indeed, and we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free. You could say that when we come to really know the truth, the freedom we experience bears much fruit, and we become disciples indeed.

The word “disciple” means a learner of or follower of. If the disciples bear much fruit, then they will truly be following the example of Jesus who saw everything that the Father gave Him to do come to fruition. Discipleship should be the aim of every Christian. Sadly, the commission Jesus gave in Matthew 28:19-20 has changed from making disciples to making converts who only ask the Lord for forgiveness of sins so that they can avoid hell. They aren’t focused on becoming true followers of Jesus; they just want “fire insurance.” The Great Commission instructs us to make disciples while we are going throughout the world.

• We are in life-union with the Vine who is Jesus. We must cultivate an ever-growing relationship with Him by spending time with Him in prayer, reading and studying His Word. Allowing Jesus to take up residence in our life.
• Put the word to work so that it is living out powerfully in your life. When our roots are planted deep into the soil of God’s Word, we are positioned to be nourished by Him. We will not wither but thrive. Thereby Glorifying God and bearing fruit, showing we are true disciples.
• If we abide in Jesus, fruit is natural. It is God’s will for us to have the fruit that HIS Word promises.

Each one of us is attached to a vine of some sort. If it’s not the true Vine (Jesus), then it’s some other vine. Let us Thrive in the true Vine, bearing much fruit that remains!