Devotion 4/8, Vine and Branch
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. . . . John 15:5
Are we really united to Jesus like branches to a vine? Yes, and amen! And does that mean we are also united with other people who are Christians? Yes, it does.
If we are united with Christ, we are like a branch of the holy vine of God. Yet there are other branches too, and the people represented by all those branches are loved by God just as we are—even if we might disagree with them in some ways or don’t understand why they believe as they do.
Sometimes, people come up with false teachings that deny the truth of Christ (as in 1 John 2:18-27). And if they insist on following those teachings, they can mislead others and cut themselves off from the vine of Christ. That is a terrible tragedy, and we need to know how tragic it is when something like that happens. Let’s do all we can to remain united with Christ and with the other branches of Christ’s church. Jesus says, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love. . . . Love each other as I have loved you.”
Forgive us, Lord, if we think that we are always right and that others should conform to our way. Give me strength through the Holy Spirit to be the best listener I can be. And when I disagree with a brother or sister in Christ, I pray I find validation of the truth through your scriptures and not what I think the truth should be. May we seek unity in you, the true vine. Amen.
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