John 15:1–17 (ASV)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. 3Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples. 9Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love. 10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father, I have made known unto you. 16Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17These things I command you, that ye may love one another.
The health of his wife put Abel in a distressful situation. Through prayer and being rooted in Christ that he found peace. In the end, he praised God for keeping to His word.
Kelly Monroe came to a wonderful practical realization of what it means to be a grafted in the Vine, which is Jesus. His body was healed from a disease; even the doctors called his healing a Miracle.
After years of struggling in vain to secure victory over sin, Rosalind Goforth finally found rest when she stumbled on the very secret that guarantees victory: Christ’s Indwelling Presence.
When Hudson Taylor understood the revelation that he was just a branch and the Lord was the Vine, his whole lifestyle changed for the better. He came upon a new experience of peaceful existence that shone brightly everywhere and in everything he did.
Hudson Taylor writes about the deep rest and fullness of life, that a knowledge of Christ's indwelling in him has brought him. Gladly he says, "Christ dwelling in the heart by faith... is power indeed, is life indeed.”
Hudson Taylor wrote to his sister about abundant joy and peace that had replaced great distress and restlessness that had burdened him for months because of a growing consciousness of sin and his powerlessness against it. When he found that Jesus had promised to never leave him and that he was literally a member of Christ's body, he was able to conclude, “Can Christ be rich and I poor?”
The Lord taught Rees Howell how to abide in Him. Ultimately, his abiding bore the fruit of winning a woman for Christ.
A manager who boasted that he had never been on his knees in prayer was brought to repentance before the Lord after Rees Howell and his friends prayed for him. The testimony of Rees's obedience to the Lord was a pivot in his conversion.
Ann Thane's Pastor describes with amazing detail, the heavenly scene himself and others experienced by her sick bed where she told them of her amazing experience of oneness in and with Christ Jesus!
When an Indian companion shared his struggles to win souls to Christ, Corrie Ten Boom shared the story of her encounter with a University Professor. A story that demonstrates how dependence on God is more important than eloquence in winning souls for Christ.
