It’s NOT About STRUGGLING

The Christian life is not about struggling, but about YIELDING. It’s not about self-effort, but about UNION and being connected to Jesus.

The best example Jesus gave of this is in John 15. He said, “I am the vine and you are the branches. Unless you abide in Me and I and you, you cannot bear fruit.” In other words, you’re fruitless with your self efforts.

It’s not about willpower, it’s about the Holy Spirit power. It’s not that you have no will power, but you use it differently. You use it to let the Holy Spirit guide you regarding what to do. You have denied yourself. You have given your will to God. So it’s no longer a life of struggle, but a life of yielding.

When you get married, you’re no longer just one person. You’re no longer making decisions on your own;  at least you shouldn’t. You have joined your will with your spouse’s will. Your plans become joint-plans.

It is much the same in Christian life. You’ve got to remember Who you are married to. You’re no longer your own. In this case, you were bought with a high price, and redeemed from the pit you were in. So even MORE than with the marriage illustration, you’ve been purchased and grafted into God’s family. You’re part of His trunk, His vine.

The grapes don’t make an effort to bear fruit. They don’t make resolutions, they don’t try to grow in their self-effort. They just abide in the Vine.

Jesus also explains that the Father is the vine-dresser, that means the “pruner”. If you have ever seen a vine that has been pruned, it’s pretty bare. The pruning is ruthless. The branches are cut virtually all the way to the trunk. You can hardly see the branches, just the trunk, and you wonder if these branches will ever bear fruit again. But comes Springtime again, they bust out into more fruitfulness than ever before.

Jesus also said, “Now you are clean, (or pruned) through the WORD that I have spoken unto you” (Jn 15:3). God uses the Word to prune us so that we bear more fruit. God doesn’t use evil, accidents or sickness to prune you. He uses the Word.

If you are faithfully reading His word, then His Word is faithfully reading YOU. It’s exposing the flaws in your life and guiding you into all truth. It is cleaning you and pruning you into the disciple you are to be. Jesus said, “Abide in Me, (the Word), and I in you.” Christ in you, the (only) hope.

If Christ is the vine and the Holy Spirit is the sap, the Father the vine-dresser, we will then bear the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22,23).