Home |Choose Life Everlasting! | Open Letters from God
| Truth Growed Songs | How God Stuff Works | Ye
Must Be Born Again Blog
1John by Theme
|
Heavenly Family Tree of Life
How the vine abides in the branches
1John 1:4 and 4:11
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full...Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Soil, seed, water and fruit
God abides in us by bearing fruit (Jn.15:5).
Our heart becomes "good soil" when it receives the blood bath of Jesus upon receiving the seed of the gospel (Jn.15:3).
But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, <---we abide in Him ... he abides in us ----> and bear fruit with perseverance (Lk.8:15).
First the water of God's words flows into the branches and then fruit is produced. God's people are to abide along the water of God's word. He then abides in us by producing and increasing the fruit of love, joy and peace (Jn.15:10-11).
Flesh and fruit
Just as we became part of the Vine by reaching out in faith to the Gospel, so we bear fruit as we consider our flesh crucified at Calvary while reaching out to others in service to the Lord. A believer's heart has become circumsized and set free from the power of the flesh that so easily begets sin. But we engage that spiritual freedom by faith; just as we couldn't save ourselves, we cannot walk in the power of the Spirit by our own will. We remain dependant on His power and grace (Phil.3:3,7-8 Gal.5:16-17,22-24).
The more a believer walks in the flesh, the more paltry is the fruit; When this happens, God will prune us...and it can be painful, but the end thereof is joy (John 15:2).