One day a young pastor said to me, ‘everyone tells me I must love. I must love God and I must love others, but no one can tell me how can I love. Please tell me how can I love?’ Jesus reveals to us the secret of success. That is how to bear fruit, how to love and how to be a disciple.
God’s love revealed in Jesus is perfected when we know and experience living in Him.
John 15:5-8 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Success in this life is to be in relationship with the living God, being transformed into the character of Jesus, empowered to love God and love one another. To ‘achieve’ success we are required to do three things.
WHAT ARE WE REQUIRED TO DO?
Let us turn our thoughts and our minds to God’s natural creation.
In the natural a healthy vine needs to drink water every day. Water is the source of life!
The vine has a main stem. From there the branches grow out. As water flows from high to low the water comes down from the sky, soaks into the ground and the vine gets its water through the roots up through the main stem to the branches. The water flows up through the main stem giving life to the branches.
As it is in he natural, so it is in the spiritual, as God created all things.
In the spiritual Jesus is the source of living water, flowing from the throne of God, from the Father, through the son to His disciples. As Jesus is the vine or the main stem and we are the branches, as we come into His presence, we receive all of His goodness.
When we receive Jesus, giving our allegiance to Him, we receive His Spirit; we have the Holy Spirit within. But to receive a refreshing, to grow and be empowered, transformed and live fruitful lives filled with His love we need to drink daily His living waters. Drinking in His presence each day receiving from Him. His presence is flowing over us, in us and through us.
Each day receiving more of His love, His joy, His, peace, His patience, His kindness, His goodness, His faithfulness, His gentleness and His self control. This is not fruit we can make or produce ourselves. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ Jesus, the Spirit of God.
It is not about changing ourselves saying I must love I must love. We cannot make ourselves love. Success is about His love. His love in us enables us to love. By the power of the Holy Spirit His love flows through us to others. Through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit we become more like Jesus.
We love God because He first loved us. We love others because His love lives in us.
When we abide in Jesus, live in the revelation Jesus’ love for us, our heart becomes filled with God’s love, more and more each day. It is then through His love we start to act towards others in love and obey His word.
SUCCESS IS KNOWN BY THE FRUIT
Jesus said in Luke 6:44 that every tree is known by its fruit. If a tree grows figs it is therefore a fig tree. A fig tree cannot grow mangoes. A mango tree cannot grow figs.
Therefore the Jesus tree produces Jesus fruit.
We are drinking from the source of the power of the living God. Remember we are branches naturally and supernaturally connected to Jesus the vine.
As we receive a full revelation of God’s love and let this Godly love flow through us, we are able to love no matter what people do to us or for us. It is by our love, which is His love in us, that the world will know we are Jesus’ disciples.
If we abide in the vine we will know the power of His love.
To receive His love is to live!
THE CONDITION OF THE HEART
In the natural a healthy vine needs to be planted in good, fertile, soft soil.
Just as it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual, as God created all things.
In the spiritual Jesus likens good soil to the condition of the heart and a teachable spirit.
Imagine if Jesus in the flesh comes to your house to visit. The first thing you do is clean things up. Then being a good hospitable Christian, you get busy in the kitchen making drinks and food. Meanwhile your sister is in the lounge room, just sitting at Jesus’ feet. Apparently doing nothing. She is just sitting there listening to Jesus.
All you can think about is all the things you need to do. You become resentful of your sister and even angry with God. She should be doing what you think is important, which is helping you. You’re thinking this is not fair! You finally have had enough and you say to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
In Luke 10:31-42 we read the very same story. In verses 41-42 we read Jesus response.
Luke 10:41-42 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
WHAT DID MARY CHOOSE TO DO?
Mary chose to abide in the vine. Her time with Jesus was her first priority. She had a teachable and untroubled spirit, listening to every word that Jesus spoke. Her heart’s desire was to know Him, to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Everything else was secondary. In fact when we abide in Jesus all our work, our ministry, our gifts and our life become fruitful, bringing glory to God.
If we abide in the vine, we will know the power of His Word.
To receive His love is to listen!
In the natural a healthy vine needs nutrients or food.
For the vine to grow the main stem soaks up the nutrients from the soil that then flow freely to the branches.
Just as it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual, as God created all things.
WHAT IS JESUS’ FOOD?
John 4:34 ‘Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’
Jesus motive was to do the Father’s will, so that we may know Him and the Father who sent Him. That was when Jesus said His joy is complete. As we abide in the vine this too will be our hearts desire, as we become more like Jesus.
To abide in Jesus, is to surrender to the Father’s will. If we live in a continual heart and mind condition of surrender to the Father’s will, each day time in His presence, He will produce much fruit to the glory of the Father.
If we abide in the vine, we will know the power of His will.
To receive His love is to surrender!
This is the secret of success. Each day living in a continual heart and mind condition of surrender to the Father’s will, coming into His presence drinking the living waters, listening to Him. As a result the Holy Spirit produces the fruit.
However it is a daily process. Every moment is an opportunity to grow closer to God and let Him produce the fruit, to the glory of the Father.
From Jesus own words in John 15 we learn that abiding in Jesus is the source of life (v6), abiding in Jesus is the source of bearing fruit (v5), abiding in Jesus is the source of answered prayer (v7) and abiding in Jesus is the source of doing the Father’s will (v8).
