Chapter 7
HIS VINE FOR YOUR BRANCHES
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
JOHN 5:15 NIV
60 Purifying Dirt
As a child, I stuffed my mouth with black wood soil. My cheeks bulged like a chipmunk. I don’t remember swallowing the stuff.
I’ve never forgotten its taste. The taste of the soap too! I hope I didn’t ruin your dinner!
You’re incredibly well-organized dust. For a change, science and the Scriptures agree on that (Genesis 2:7). Your composition leads me to one of life’s mysteries. How did your mother expect you to wash the dirt off dirt?
As a human, you’re also “dirty” morally and spiritually. God labels your very best moral deeds as one star, at best. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6 NIV).
Your sins control you like the wind directs the path of a fallen leaf. Is there any hope at all?
Yes! God has always cared about moral and spiritual purity. He gave specific directions in the Old Testament to purify people and their lips, garments, altars, houses, land, and the temple.
There are 26 Old Testament references using the word “purify.” It’s always people who do it.
Only two New Testament references describe God’s part in purifying “dirt.” One of the two is conditional: “If we confess our sins, he’s faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).
The other describes God’s purpose behind Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection: “… to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).
On this earth, you’ll always be organized dirt. But like a pure, white flower, five-star good things can come from the dirt after you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior! He wants to use your purified dirt to produce much fruit that will remain (John 15:8)!
How are you encouraged by the fact that Jesus can rescue and purify “dirt”? Read Luke 16.
61 Fulfilling Your Dream
It’s always too soon to quit! About ten years ago, we put a bird feeder in our backyard. We did all we could to keep the squirrels away from it. We watched them try one tactic after another. Finally, they learned how to get to that birdseed. They refused to give up.
Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream. So do gray squirrels! You have one too, don’t you? You want your life to count for something. You want to create more than a ripple on the lake of life. You can.
You need a vision. You need help to accomplish it. You could use gray squirrel persistence and quiet confidence you can do it.
Your vision defines what you want to be or do. Don’t settle for what you can do by yourself. The New England Patriots have won six Super Bowls through teamwork.
You achieve more when you work with others to see your vision become reality. You will accomplish most when you collaborate with God and other believers. With their assistance, you can complete God’s purpose for your life.
Your quiet confidence that you can do it should anchor in God’s promise: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).
If God calls you to minister to the homeless, don’t stoop to be the President of the United States or a Super Bowl-winning quarterback!
What do you believe God wants to do through you? Who can help you?
Read Luke 17.
62 How to Leave a Legacy
What do you know about your eight great-grandparents? How did their lives affect yours?
One of my great-grandfathers worked as a rail straightener at Bethlehem Steel and ate fat sandwiches. Another was a weighmaster, clerk, salesperson, and insurance agent. Two others were farmers. One of them committed suicide when he was eighty.
My four great-grandmothers were all stay-at-home spouses. That’s all I know about them. What will your great-grandchildren remember about you?
You author the story of your accomplishments in disappearing ink. It’s like a psalm I wrote on a four-by-six card. The sunlight bleached and rendered it unreadable 15 months later. Time will erase all memories of what you’ve done like the sun erased what I’d written.
“The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more” (Psalm 103:15–16 NIV).
You leave a legacy by investing your life in that which is eternal—other people. Instead of selfishly trying to carve your accomplishments on stone monuments, inscribe them on human hearts through sacrificial, loving service.
Bear much fruit that will remain. Because Paul did that, he could write to the Corinthians: “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV). Servants leave a legacy.
What kind of legacy do you want to leave? What needs to change for that to happen? Read Luke 18.
63 Pleasure’s Place
I was one of the first players off the bench on my junior high basketball team. I reported to the scorer’s table. I said, “Selcher in for Brown.”
I usually entered the game when Brown was in foul trouble. Henry Brown made the third-team all-state in Pennsylvania as a senior basketball player. For many years, he held my high school’s single season scoring record.
He was also a football star. He was selected in the tenth round of the 1970 NFL draft. He was a wide receiver and punter. Selcher was never an adequate substitute for Brown!
Almost three thousand years ago, King Solomon concluded that pleasure is not an adequate substitute for purpose. Pleasure is not bad in itself. It is vital to tie it to the right dock.
Adrift, pursued for its own sake, it promises more than it can deliver. It eventually disappoints.
It leaves you empty and unfulfilled. Like a soap bubble, pleasure bursts when grasped, betraying your trust in it to make you happy.
The strange thing is how slowly you learn your lesson. You’re naturally in the group of “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). That misplaced love chokes spiritual fruitfulness (Luke 8:14).
It leaves nothing substantial in return. Like a drug addict, you pursue pleasure all over again today even though it disappointed you yesterday and the day before.
I’m reminding you about pleasure’s place. King Solomon describes it. In Ecclesiastes, written near the end of his life, he concluded that work, knowledge, relationships, and pleasure find their proper place only when you moor them to the dock of God.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV). Pleasure, in its proper place, is the by-product of God-centered living.
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11 NIV). It happens naturally when you stay connected to the vine (John 15:5).
How satisfying has pursuing pleasure for its own sake been for you? What’s its proper place? Read Luke 19.
64 Have I Done Enough?
Alex Honnold free-climbed the Freerider route of El Capitan without a rope or safety gear on June 3, 2017. No one else has ever done it. It’s one of the all-time great athletic achievements.
Is he pushing toward even greater goals? No. “Everybody already thinks I’ve done the best thing I’ll ever do,” Honnold said, “So I don’t feel any obligation to top that.”1 Doing more could easily end with a long fall and sudden stop!
Alex may have done enough, but you haven’t. “I’ve arrived!” is personal growth’s mortal enemy. Good is Great’s most frequent competitor.
Your biggest failures are the successes you never pursued because of self-satisfaction. Spiritual complacency is especially dangerous.
A.W. Tozer said, “Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Christ … waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us, He waits so long, so very long, in vain.”2
Jesus said those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6). Such hunger and thirst, like that of a growing teenager, are reliable signs of spiritual health and vitality.
The Bible consistently condemns complacency. Three of the six times a form of the word appears in Scripture it’s associated with a false sense of security (Isaiah 32:9, 11; Amos 6:1).
Self-satisfied people aren’t secure. God expects a return on His investment in you (Matthew 25:14–30). You’re saved for good works, not by them (Ephesians 2:8–10). Fruit is good. More fruit is better. Much fruit is best.
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8 NIV). It’s always too soon to retire from bearing fruit.
What signs of spiritual complacency do you see in your church? In yourself?
Read Luke 20.
65 The Price of Fruit
If you don’t pursue bearing fruit, you’re missing your purpose! Speaking of fruit, here’s the cost per pound of 28 fruits in the United States: watermelon ($.32), cantaloupe ($.52), and banana ($.55).
Pineapple ($.65), honeydew ($.83), grapefruit ($1.01), orange ($1.10), papaya ($1.29), mango ($1.32), tangerine ($1.48), pear ($1.52), and apple ($1.62).
Peach ($1.68), nectarine ($1.88), plum ($1.99), pomegranate ($2.08), kiwi ($2.18), grape ($2.24), strawberry ($2.51), apricot ($3.09), and cherry ($3.21).
Mixed berries ($3.64), blueberries ($4.39), cranberries ($4.69), dates ($5.51), blackberries ($5.66), figs ($6.13), and raspberries ($6.88).1
My interest in fruit comes naturally. My father’s ancestors raised wine grapes commercially in the 19th century. They lived in present-day Serbia and then near Middletown, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century.
Producing quality grapes is a divine-human partnership. The farmer spends time, energy, and money. But if God doesn’t make the grapes grow, it’s all for nothing. Spiritual fruit also has a price for both God and you.
The price God paid to set you free from sin’s penalty and power is beyond calculation. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19 NIV).
God set you free to bear much fruit (John 15:8). But much fruit has a price. You must deny yourself (Luke 9:23). You must live for Jesus instead of yourself (Romans 12:1).
You must quit conforming to the world’s ways of thinking and living (Romans 12:2). You must remain in Jesus (John 15:5). You must allow His words to be at home in you (John 15:7).
You must submit to God’s pruning (John 15:2). You must labor unto weariness to complete God’s purpose for your life (Colossians 1:29). Given your purchase price, can you justify doing less?
What did God pay to get you? What are you sacrificing so others can share in the blessing of belonging to God? Read Luke 21.
66 A Father’s Day Gift for God
In the early 1970s, I got a loan from my Aunt Elizabeth to buy a used 1972 VW Squareback. The loan was her idea. She offered it without interest.
I was grateful for her generosity. I repaid her within six months. I recently saw a 1972 Squareback advertised on the Internet (It runs great!) for ten times what I paid! Incidentally, mine didn’t run great 46 years ago!
In the spiritual world, God paid the Mt. Everest-size sin debt you’ve incurred. You’ve accumulated it by living a self-centered existence in a God-centered Universe.
The penalty for such rebellious foolishness is death (Romans 6:23). Jesus paid it for you by dying in your place (1 Peter 3:18). Gratitude is the best gift you can give in return.
You show it best when you love God with all your being. You show it best when you love your neighbor as yourself.
By God’s grace through faith, you become God’s child (John 1:12). He expects you’ll be an apple that doesn’t fall far from the tree.
That was not happening in Deuteronomy 32. “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.
Is this the way you repay the LORD, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” (Deuteronomy 32:4–6 NIV).
The best repayment and Father’s Day gift for God is to love others as you love yourself.
Make the family resemblance obvious! May everyone know to what Vine you’re connected!
What will you give today to demonstrate the family resemblance?
Read Luke 22.
67 The Worst Sin
The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation gives an award for the worst movie of the year. For about 20 years it also gave it to the worst original song of the year.
The Worst Sin Award (made up!) goes to the worst sin of the year. And the winner is….
Before announcing the winner, consider the nominees. Billy Graham thought the worst sin was unrelentingly rejecting God’s offer of forgiveness made available by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Mark 3:28–29). There’s no forgiveness for that one.
Proverbs 6:16–19 (NIV) describes seven sins the LORD hates. They include “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
Other nominees falling under biblical condemnation include child sacrifice, sex with animals, incest, sorcery, blasphemy, worshipping false gods, legal corruption, same-sex activity, lies, and social injustice.
I’m suggesting an additional nominee. Influencing others to practice the previously mentioned sins is worse than practicing them.
The LORD condemned Baasha, king of Israel, for following the sins of Jeroboam and causing the Israelites to sin (1 Kings 16:2). The Old Testament condemns “the sins of Jeroboam” 24 times.
The people followed Baasha who was, in turn, following Jeroboam. They traveled paths God never intended. Jeroboam’s sins were going viral.
Jesus condemned the Pharisees for leading others astray: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are” (Matthew 23:15 NIV).
The worst sin is leading others away from God and His ways. By contrast, the highest virtue is influencing others to follow Jesus. That’s what branches remaining in the Vine do!
How are you demonstrating the highest virtue? Read Luke 23.
68 Who Is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit isn’t a force or a thing. He’s the Third Person of the Trinity.
One God consists of three co-equal, co-eternal Persons in fellowship together. The Holy Spirit is God, as are the Father and the Son. But the Holy Spirit is not identical to the Father or the Son.
The Holy Spirit was involved with the Father and Son in creating the physical world (Genesis 1:1–2). He worked in Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:18) and baptism (Matthew 3:16).
He was present at His temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:1) and public ministry (Luke 4:18). Jesus depended on the Spirit’s power to complete his earthly assignments.
The Holy Spirit brings you the new birth (John 3:5–8). The Father sent Him to guide and strengthen you. He comforts you and is with you forever (John 14:16).
He’s the Spirit of truth (John 14:17, 15:26). He guides you into all truth (John 16:13).
He testifies about Christ (John 15:26). He enables you to do the same (John 15:27).
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). He’s like an everywhere-present prosecuting attorney.
He convicts people that they’re guilty of sin. They’re helpless before the Holy God of the Universe. God’s solution is faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It’s His answer to your lack of 100 percent righteousness.
It’s His fix for the problem of eternal condemnation. There’s no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Because you belong to Christ, you have the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). God’s Spirit leading you demonstrates you’re God’s child (Romans 8:14). You know you belong to God because His Spirit bears witness with your spirit (Romans 8:16).
He sets you apart for His work (Acts 13:2). He guides you in it (Acts 16:6–7). He empowers you to be His witness (Acts 1:8). He helps you pray by interceding for you with groans words can’t express (Romans 8:26–27).
He’s given you at least one spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:1–11). He inspired the men who wrote the Bible (2 Peter 1:21). He helps you understand it.
When He controls you, you express Jesus-like character traits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). He’s the engine of your spiritual life!
How is trying to live the Christian life in your strength like driving a car without an engine? Read Luke 24.
69 Living in the Spirit
You can’t live the Christian life in your strength. You don’t have to. The Holy Spirit is the fuel that allows you to burn on for Christ without your service consuming you.
Living in the Spirit is the Holy Spirit’s empowering you to live for and be like Jesus. There are two requirements.
The first is to deny your pride, selfishness, and ambition. The second is to yield the driver’s seat of your life to the Spirit. The alternative is to live for yourself and miss a full, meaningful life that makes an eternal difference.
When you’re living in the Spirit, new desires emerge. One is a hunger for God’s word. Another is the desire to see others come to know Jesus too.
When you’re living in the Spirit, you meet the righteous requirements of the law (Romans 8:4). You don’t gratify sinful desires (Galatians 5:16). You do good works (Ephesians 2:10).
You demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). You live in the light and truth (3 John 4). The Spirit empowers your witness (Acts 1:8).
There are three requirements to live in the Spirit. Do you want the Holy Spirit’s control? Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6).
You must confess any sins the Holy Spirit reveals. Once you do, God promises to forgive and purify you (1 John 1:9).
You live in the Holy Spirit by faith alone (Hebrews 11:6). Without trust, you can’t please God. God’s will is for you to live in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When you ask God to help you do what He wants, He always does (1 John 5:14–15).
The Holy Spirit can daily fill you through the following prayer:
Lord, here are my body, soul, and spirit. I want You to think with my mind. Love with my heart. Bless others through the strength You’ll give me today. By faith, I claim the control and power of Your Spirit right now. Thank you for it in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Are you trusting the Holy Spirit to control and empower you?
Read John 1.
70 His Fellowshipping Branches
Christian fellowship is far more than sharing a potluck dinner. It’s sharing Christ’s life. Fellowship is a choice.
The early Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42 NIV).
Jesus is the vine. The members of His church are the branches. How do those branches relate to each other?
Collaborating with other believers to further God’s Kingdom brings joy and pain. The Apostle John focuses on joy in 1 John 1:3–4.
Sometimes, however, fellowship brings pain. We let each other down. We poke each other with our porcupine quills when we get close.
God shapes us as we love other imperfect people. He provides enough grace to get the job done.
Fellowship is God’s workshop. He uses it to grind away your pride, self-centeredness, and self-importance. In the New Testament, “one another” and “each other” verses often portray love in action.
Be at peace with each other (Mark 9:50). Wash one another’s feet (John 13:14). Love one another (John 13:34).
Be devoted to one another with mutual affection. Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10). Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16).
Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13). Agree with one another (1 Corinthians 1:10). Have equal concern for each other (1 Corinthians 12:25).
Serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Don’t be conceited or provoke and envy each other (Galatians 5:26).
Carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2).
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other... (Ephesians 4:32).
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19).
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Do not lie to each other (Colossians 3:9). Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another (Colossians 3:13).
Teach and admonish one another with all wisdom (Colossians 3:16). Encourage and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Live in peace with each other (1 Thessalonians 5:13). Always try to be kind to each other (1 Thessalonians 5:15).
Encourage one another daily (Hebrews 3:13). Spur one another toward love and good deeds. ...encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24–25). Do not slander or grumble against one another (James 4:11, 5:9).
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other (James 5:16). Live in harmony with one another...love one another (1 Peter 3:8).
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9). Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5).
God has designed the church to feed, mature, shelter, and reproduce the faith. We’re each sanding blocks and God is the builder. Christian fellowship is life rubbing against life to nurture what’s Christ-like and remove what isn’t.
How has Christian fellowship brought you both joy and pain? Read John 2.