Lesson 6: Much fruit

John 15:5 - …Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…

You complain of the lack of fervent love. It will come from Jesus. He will give the divine love in your heart with which you can love people. That is the meaning of the assurance: "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit "; and of that other word, “The love of Christ constrains us." Christ can give you a fountain of love, so that you cannot help loving the most wretched and the most ungrateful, or those who have wearied you. Rest in Christ, who can give wisdom and strength, and you do not know how restfulness will often prove to be the very best part of your message. You plead with people and you argue, and they get the idea, “There is a man arguing and striving with me." They only feel, “Here are two men dealing with each other." But if you will let the deep rest of God come over you, the rest in Christ Jesus, the peace and rest and holiness of heaven; that restfulness will bring a blessing to the heart, even more than the words you speak.

 But a third thought: The branch teaches a lesson of much fruitfulness.

 You know the Lord Jesus repeated that word fruit often in that parable. He spoke, first, of fruit, and then of more fruit, and then of much fruit. Yes, you are ordained not only to bear fruit, but to bear much fruit. "Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit." In the first place, Christ said: "I am the Vine, and my Father is the Husbandman. My Father is the Husbandman who has charge of me and you." He who will watch over the connection between Christ and the branches is God; and it is in the power of God through Christ that we are to bear fruit.


 Oh Christians, you know this world is perishing for lack of workers. And it lacks not only more workers. The workers are saying, some more earnestly than others, “We need not only more workers, but we need our workers to have a new power, a different life; that we workers should be able to bring more blessing." Children of God, I appeal to you. You know what trouble, sickness, and death is around you. Nothing can refresh that friend so much as a few grapes, and they are out of season; but what trouble you will take to get the grapes that are nourishment for this friend! There are people around you who do not know Christ. And yet the heavenly grapes, the grapes of the heavenly Vine, are not to be had at any price, except as the child of God bears them out of his inner life in fellowship with Christ. Except the children of God are filled with the sap of the heavenly Vine, except they are filled with the Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus, they cannot bear much of the real heavenly grape.

*Whom have you connected with today, to give them Jesus’ love?