The Secret to Faithfulness by Jason Caywood 
Have any of you seen a branch of tree, or of a shrug or some other plant, that was detached from the stem and yet still flourishing? No, of course not. Branches are only able to function according to God’s design if they remain vitally united to the root and stem! There is no other way to receive the nutrients necessary to bear and sustain the leaves and produce the fruit which it is designed for.
This is the specific metaphor which the Lord Jesus used to portray how God can produce fruit that useful to him.
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)
Clearly humans have incredible abilities and talents but they cannot do anything of ultimate value without abiding in the Vine, the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. For the kind of virtuous life which we are called to is that of Jesus himself, God incarnate and eternally embodied in resurrection power. Only in abiding in him can we hope to even begin to progress toward some measure of his character and consistency of faithfulness.
The metaphor, like all metaphors, does not parallel with human beings in all respects. For unlike a branch of a vine we have the ability to resist and say no outright to God’s purpose for us and to living in accord with what he has revealed to be his will. For we can and do think we are, to one degree or another, self-sufficient and thus only need God on our own terms. This can easily happen with Christians: To become blinded to the fact that what we do or have done in faith or service to Christ has only come become God’s supernatural power made that so. We came come to think and act “for God” by thinking and doing differently than he has specified and clarified in his word.
This is why he warned them: “Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” (15:6) And this is why he emphatically reminded them that an authentic spiritual walk with God is to abide in Christ—to remain with him, to listen and heed and be careful to mind his commands; and most especially to “love one another as I have loved you.” (15:12)
Imagine this: An individual telling God, in effect, I do not accept what you have created and do not accept how you have established this relationship with me. You must bend to my expectations and terms—you keep feeding me with life and I get to have the license to think and to live as I please. God the Father will not go along with this. Rather, the Father will remove from the Vine, Christ, such persons.
“He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” (15:2)
Notice that he both removes the branches that do not produce fruit and that he cuts back, pruning those that do. For the Father is the vine-tender—the one who studiously examines and cares for his own Vine with one aim in mind: Maximizing the capacity of their fruit-bearing.
Those who do not bear the fruit of God in their lives and express that concretely, and do not progress into a life of virtue, faithfulness and consecration, are not abiding in Jesus the Messiah. For whatever particular reason(s) they are not entrusting themselves to the Lord Jesus on his terms—that is to say, on God’s terms.
What is it that we resist when we do not abide in the Vine, in Christ himself? It may be a false notion we have about God or Jesus himself or reticence because we have been hurt by Christians. But the Lord is beckoning us to come to himself here: And when this is understood then resistance within us is resistance to receiving the love of God and of the Lord Jesus himself. For listen to what the Lord said: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.” (15:9)
Do you hear what the Lord said?
Love demands everything from us. God gave and gives all he could to us in Jesus, and through his Holy Spirit to his redeemed children. And to receive that love we must give all to him.
As in every other aspect of human life, when relating well to another one must be willing to give oneself wholly; one will sacrifice time and energy and emotionally give for the sake of others. So to, the Lord tells us that he requires all from us in relationship with him. The Father will not be satisfied till we willingly give ourselves wholeheartedly to him through his Son. This is how to receive the love of the Father, as the Spirit gifts to us Christ himself as our life.
Point of Application:
Recall the questions of the Psalmist: “O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1)
This is what God made us for: To dwell in his place, with him, in intimacy and spiritual union forever. But in order for us to be able to embrace him and to begin to experience something of that eternal joy that comes through this union of love and fidelity we must willingly surrender on his terms. In surrender comes friendship with the Lord and knowledge of God’s ways; in knowing and walking with him we can learn prayer as way of life and indeed see the Father grant what we ask of him!
For we are assured by our Lord:
“You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” (John 15:16-17)