Day 38

38: Sticking Points For The Believer  

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” John 15:1-2

We live in the citrus capital of the United States, Florida. About 80 million boxes of citrus are picked in Florida annually. The Sunshine State produces twice as many oranges annually as California and Texas combined. With the abundance of citrus here, it should come as no surprise that I have two citrus trees in my backyard, a grapefruit tree and a lime tree. On a good year, our grapefruit tree would produce a bountiful crop of around 300 juicy grapefruits. How fun to be able to walk out into our backyard and pick a grapefruit off the tree for breakfast, or to pick a bag of grapefruits to share with our neighbors. A couple of years ago, our grapefruit tree was infected with a fungus. It was neglected, left untreated, and now our once bountiful grapefruit tree bears no fruit. So sad!

As believers, we’re meant to bear spiritual fruit. Many of us aren’t though. So sad! Why do we fail to bear spiritual fruit, and what can we do about that?

Read John 15:1-2.

• Do you think Jesus is addressing believers or unbelievers here?

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What do you think Jesus means when He says the Father “cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit?”

Because Jesus identifies the branches as belonging to Him, “every branch of mine,” it seems apparent that Jesus is speaking of believers here. So, when He says the Father cuts off branches that bear no fruit, does He mean that those who don’t bear fruit are cut off from the Father, lose their spiritual inheritance, and will spend eternity separated from God in hell?

The Greek word for “cuts off” is αἵρει (pronounced air-ei). The meaning of this word is “to raise, take up, lift.” While many Bible translations like the NLT and NIV translate this word as “cuts off,” others like the NASB, NKJV and ESV translate it “takes away.”

When you understand the work of a vinedresser though, translating this word closer to its basic meaning of “to raise, take up, lift” makes more sense. As a vinedresser walks through the vineyard, examining each vine, determining where he must prune or reposition branches for maximum fruit bearing, he might notice some branches that are laying down in the dirt. They are on the ground, out of the sunlight, unable to receive what they need to be fruitful. In this case, the vinedresser will “lift” the branch, “picking up” and “raising” it from the ground, repositioning it within the trellis, giving that branch an opportunity to produce fruit.

How does this picture of “picking up” unfruitful branches change your perspective on John 15:2?

When we are down in the dirt, stuck in the mud, caught up in the filth of our sin, God’s desire is to pick us up. In His love and care, He wants to clean us off and reposition us in a place where we can begin to grow again.

One of the main reasons why believers get stuck in Chair 2 is SIN. Like my grapefruit tree that I neglected when it became infected with a fungus, we often neglect the sin in our lives, allowing it to go unchecked and unconfessed.

What are the affects you have personally felt when you’ve allowed sin to go unchecked and unconfessed in your life?

One of the main effects of sin is that it will cause us to “fall out” of the habits that are crucial for our spiritual health. We stop reading the Bible. We stop praying. We stop going to church. We stop fellowshipping with other believers. We stop serving others. When we neglect these habits, our hearts grow cold. We grow distant from God in our relationship with Him.

Read James 4:4.

• What does James equate sin with? 

Read James 4:7-10.

• What does James offer as the antidote for spiritual adultery?
• In James 4:10, we are told that if we humble ourselves before God, confessing our sin to Him, He will “lift us up.” He will pick us up out of the dirt, clean us off, and place us back on the trellis where we can grow and produce spiritual fruit once again. 

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Apart From Him…

• Thank the Father that when you sin, He doesn’t discard you, but instead lovingly offers to pick you up and help you become fruitful in Him again. 

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Walking As Jesus…

• Read through James 4:4-10 again. Is there any sin you need to confess to the Father? Use James 4:7-10 as your prayer to the Father for forgiveness, restoration and rejoicing. 

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• My Personal Disciple-Making Plan: