APPLY SCRIPTURE
John 15 reveals God the Father as the Master Gardener who removes/trims/cares for the branches. Jesus is the Vine between the Garden Keeper and us, His branches. In John 15:5, Jesus shared a truth dads must remember. #1 Jesus in the vine. I am the vine… (John 15:5). Just as Jesus was connected to His Father, you must be connected to God through Christ. From way back in the Garden of Eden, we tried to be the vine—to be God—in our way. The Vine is different than the branches. Jesus called Himself the Vine here and later Thomas described Him as Lord in John 20:28. Only Jesus is the “I am,” we are not. #2 You are the branch. You are the branches (John 15:5). As the branch, you’re not on a solo mission. You can’t live alone. Just as a branch requires nutrients only found in the vine, you—the godly dad—require Jesus to bear fruit. You are dependent on Jesus. His disciple abides in Him. Sure, you can be a lot of things in your strength, but a disciple who bears fruit isn’t one of them. #3 Abide in Jesus and bear fruit. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit… (John 15:5). As a dad, it’s about staying put and leaning on Christ’s work. You don’t sweat the fruit-making. Your job is to abide. Are you abiding in Christ? If so, Jesus promises you will bear fruit.
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HOW TO LEAD LIKE JESUS: The world has never known a greater leader than Jesus. But His leadership lessons aren’t restricted to running churches or parachurch organizations. His example also teaches men a lot about leading their families well. By studying how Jesus did things, we can learn to lead like Jesus. We can determine some practical ideas for moving our families forward in a way that honors Him and makes us more like Him.
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EXPERIENCING THE FRUIT OF THE VINE: Most guys are wired to be doers. Too often, we think we aren’t achieving anything of purpose unless we’re running full-throttle into every fire and fighting every battle. For many of us, action equals success. But Jesus had a different take on what really matters in life. In John 15, He emphasized that our work for God is not nearly as important as the work God accomplishes through us. Resting and abiding might not be our default position; but, as men of God, waiting on Him is our only hope for enjoying the fruit He alone can provide.
GAIN INSIGHT
“The duty of the branch is to cling to the vine.” —Max Lucado.
“Remember, you are not a tree, that can live or stand alone. You are only a branch. And it is only while you abide in Christ, as the branch in the vine, that you will flourish or even live.” —Robert Murray M’Cheyne.
“Jesus never commanded believers to produce fruit. Fruit is the purpose of the branch, but it is not the responsibility of the branch. The branch cannot produce anything on it’s own. However, if it remains attached to the vine, it will receive life-sustaining sap, nourishment, strength, everything it needs.” —Charles Swindoll.
“The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine…Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.” —Hudson Taylor.
TAKE ACTION
| Jesus or nothing. Verse 5 finishes, apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). Are you trying to be a husband and dad without abiding in Christ? Jesus promises you will be fruitless without Him. Abide is not a striving word it’s a resting word. Be still. There’s no pressure. The vine holds the branch and the fruit. God wants your life to produce fruit. But it’s all for His glory, not for you to point out how great the fruit is. Simply abide in Christ and point your kid to the Master Gardener. |
Kent Evans
Author of Bring Your Hammer, co-founder of Manhood Journey
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