Day 3 - Of vines and branches

Day 3  (April 9, 2011)

      Question:  Who is the vine?  Who are the branches?

      Read:   John 15  (Jesus is the vine;  his disciples are the branches.  Discourse on perfect law of love – “love one another, as I have loved you” (v. 12) “these things I command you, that ye love on another.”  (v. 17)  “…when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.  And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”  v. 26-27)

Ponder:  Who do I get my strength from?  How can I bring forth much fruit for the Lord?  Is social pressure pulling me down?

I know I get my strength from the Lord.  But the big question is how I can bring forth fruit for the Lord as a branch on His vine.  Do I succumb to social pressure?  Yes, in some circumstances I do.  I am finding it’s easier the older I get to not care about what others think quite so much and focus more on what I can do for the Lord.  But I still have moments of weakness when it’s easier to go with the flow than take a stand.

So, I guess the real thing this reading wants me to focus on is that I can get the strength I need from the Lord.  I need to truly be a branch on His vine.  Then I can bring forth fruit.   I can become His arms and His eyes and His listening ears to others.  Then I can testify of Him without fear.  Then I can be an example and help bring others to Christ.  This goes back to Day 2.