Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
JOHN 15:1-4 | “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
What does Jesus say about “faithworking?” Today’s scripture is challenging and encouraging on this theme. Faithfulness is so important to God that unfruitful branches are removed and cut off from the vine! Fruitful branches will be “pruned,” or cut back to foster greater fruitfulness. God is a vinegrower for you and I. He longs to see us experience the joy of fruitfulness, and he actively helps us achieve this. By his word, he makes our lives less confused by sin and guilt, cleansing us in preparation.
Further, he encourages us to “abide in him,” to have an intimate connection that sustains and provides us with what we need to be fruitful.
Abiding in Christ and being fruitful are directly related. Are you abiding?
Does this passage encourage or scare you?
