John 15: 5–17 ‘If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.’ (v10)
You may have heard the idea of ‘marginal gains’, often used when it comes to sporting endeavour, where a 1% improvement over a competitor can bring success. Christians too are looking for the ‘secret’ that will help them stay on track.
The secret (if there is one) is our connection to Jesus, which allows fruit to grow. Jesus speaks of ‘remaining in’ His love by obeying His commands, and this seems to be the way we show our connection.
We can push the metaphor too far. Disobedience doesn’t disconnect us from Him, unless in extreme cases where we might deny the faith completely.
It is vital that we remain in the vine if we are to be fruitful ourselves. Jesus is clear that without Him we can do nothing. We might like to believe that our own efforts can do quite a lot. But Jesus isn’t impressed.
It is hard to obey Jesus’ commands if we don’t know what they are! Regular reading of Scripture and meditating on it will enable you to be fruitful in His service.
Why would you not want to be as fruitful as you can be? None of us is perfect in what we do for God, but as we lean on Him and look to Him for our salvation, we will make those marginal gains.
A Prayer To Make:
‘Thank You, Lord, that Your Word guides my way day by day. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
Consider a regular Bible reading programme in addition to this one. Is there someone in your life who would value doing life Every Day with Jesus?
Scripture To Consider:
Deut. 32:44–47; Ps. 119:1–16; John 10:22–30; 1 John 5:1–12
