The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 23 June 2019 – Producing Christ-Like Life

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TOPIC: Producing Christ-Like Life

READ: John 15:1-5 King James Version (KJV)

1. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5. “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

THE MESSAGE:

Vine is often used as a symbol of Israel in the Old Testament. In the Psalmist’s appeal for help, he reminds the Lord “You brought a Vine out of Egypt, you drove out the nations and planted it” (Psalm 80: 8-12). Isaiah referred to Israel as Vine planted and tended by God in the expectation that it would bring forth good grapes but ended up bringing forth wild grapes (Isaiah 5:1-2). God’s expectation of Israel as a righteous nation did not materialize as Israel fell by the way.

In the New Testament, Jesus is the True Vine, the true source from which God’s righteousness can be attained. And Israel by faith received spiritual sustenance through deep abiding fellowship in Jesus Christ. Once the fruit is on the vine, the vinedresser cleanses it of bugs and diseases, the spiritual counterpart being the cleansing which is done by the Word (verse 3).

The abiding branch is cleansed as long as it humbly submits to the word of Christ (John 17:17). The fruit that the heavenly vinedresser looks for in His people, is Christ-like life (Galatians 5:22, 23). In order to be productive, a branch must continuously submit to pruning which is beneficial discipline by the Father (Hebrew 12:9-11), and must maintain an abiding union with the Vine (verses 4, 5).

PRAYER: Holy Spirit Divine, I thank You for Your work in making me to be like Jesus. I humbly submit to any pruning that will bring the best out of me.