Day 36 – What God will do through you

John 15:1-25

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so it can bear more fruit. You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in them will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, they are like a branch that is withered and thrown out; branches like this are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.

“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and emerge as my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be overflowing.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another selflessly, just as I have loved you. No one has greater selfless love than this, that they lay down their life for their friends. You are my friends if you do what I command, not servants any more, for a servant doesn’t know what their master is doing. But I have called you friends, for I have made sure you know everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not elect me, but I elected and appointed you, so that you should go and keep bearing fruit that will last, and so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

“This is what I command you, that you selflessly love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But as you are not of the world, since I elected you out of the world, this is why the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they have harassed me, they will also harass you. If they have kept my word, they will also keep yours. But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me also hates my Father. If I had not done works among them which no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and disregarded, even hated, both me and my Father. But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’”

For reflection

What does it mean to you to have fruitful life as a branch in Jesus’ vine?