Daily Devotion – May 3, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
John 15:1-8
15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
15:2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
15:3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
15:4 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.
15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
15:6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
15:8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
This is a story of the relationship of us human beings, Jesus, and God the Father/Creator. The Father is the vine grower, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches where the fruit grows.
Our fruit will be abundant when we abide in the vine. The more closely we abide in the abundant, generous grace of Jesus’s care for us, the more likely it will be that we will bear the kind of fruit God wants most: love. It does stand to reason. When we consider the wondrous love of Jesus for humankind, how can we help extending that generosity to others? When we are given much, it is easy to share out of that abundance.
The way that sharing happens most easily is to stay consciously aware of Jesus and the rich blessings we have received – that is, really, consistently abiding in him – really living in our relationship of faith. The problem most of the time is we forget. We forget how lucky we are. We forget how many blessings we have received. We forget to daily abide in Jesus. If we remembered, we would experience Jesus’s abundant love and let it flow through us to everyone else. God wants God’s love to flow to the whole world, and we have a role to play in that flow. We know how good that can feel – when it happens, it is a sign of the kingdom coming near. We are bearing God’s fruit of love in the world.
Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being our God, the one who sends love through Jesus to us and through us to the whole world. Help us to remember to be part of the flow of love.  Amen.
