Scripture
Jesus, the True Vine
1“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
The World’s Hatred
18“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. 22They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. 25This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures[1]: ‘They hated me without cause.’
26“But I will send you the Advocate[2] —the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.
Translation notes (2)
- 15:25 Greek in their law. Pss 35:19; 69:4.
- 15:26 Or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor. Greek reads Paraclete.
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
“Never put off tomorrow what you can do today.” These wise words attributed to Benjamin Franklin have been a great encouragement and challenge for me. You see, left to my own devices, I will put off many things for “tomorrow.” Unfortunately, this is a bad habit to get into. It keeps us from moving forward and from taking steps in our relationship with Christ. In fact, many of us want to have a thriving relationship with Christ, but we let procrastination get in the way. We think, I will put in the work to know God, pray, read my Bible, and tell others about Him tomorrow, but I do not have time today. Then, before we know it, “tomorrow” becomes a motto, and we yield no growth in our relationships with Christ. There is a better way forward than procrastination, and we must press forward every day and let each day be the day we decide to pursue growth in our relationship with Christ. We must also teach the children in our lives to do the same.
In John 15, Jesus had a conversation with His disciples about what He wanted them to do with their lives. As He was talking to them, He said, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My name” (verse 16). By telling His disciples this, He was telling them that He wanted them to have a significant contribution in the world for God and His kingdom. He wanted them to live for Him right then and there. He specifically chose and called them to be fruitful. That means He wanted them to grow in their relationship with Him and help others grow as well. It was not a calling for them to live for Him just one day in the future; it was a call for them to live for Him right then.
The same is true for you and me today. God has called each one of us to produce fruit today. There is no time to waste. We all must be vigilant about fighting for and pursuing growth today, not tomorrow. We must teach our children to fight for growth and cling closely to Jesus. May we all produce the sweetest fruit, and may our world be better for it.
Moving Toward Action
Spend some time studying the Bible with the children in your life. Read John 15:1-26 with them. After reading, talk to them about the verses you read together. Talk together about what you all learned from reading them. Then talk about what it looks like to make a decision to follow Christ today, without holding back.
Going Deeper
Read John 15:1-26 (NLT)
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