Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
—John 15:4-5

~~~~~

Trifold Relations
By Jennifer Kane

I am a branch,
woven into the Vine—
not by worth,
but by mercy,
not by effort,
but by grace that holds.

Jesus,
you are the root beneath my soul,
the sap that sings through my spirit.
Apart from you,
I wither—
a brittle thing
lost to the wind.

You called me friend.
Not servant.
Not stranger.
But one who hears
the heartbeat of heaven
through the hush of prayer.

Among the others—
fellow branches in bloom and strain—
I find the pruning shared,
the fruit multiplied
in unity.
We ache together,
grow together,
carry the weight of joy
and burden alike.

And still,
the world—
a field beyond the vineyard—
watches,
wonders,
with wary eyes
and sometimes,
with stones.

It does not know You.
It does not know us.
Yet still,
You send us
to love
as You loved,
to lay down what is easy
for what is eternal.

To abide
is not to hide—
but to remain
anchored in You
as the storm howls,
as the fruit ripens,
as the seasons turn.

Let my love
not be a whisper in safety,
but a declaration in wind and fire—
a song of the Vine,
for my brothers,
and for the barren ground
still waiting
to be tilled
by grace.

~~~~~

Scripture: John 15:1-26

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven powerful “I AM” declarations—each one revealing a deeper truth about who He is and what it means to follow Him. In John 15, we arrive at the final “I AM” statement: “I am the true vine.” Here, Jesus speaks deeply and directly about relationships—our connection to Him, to one another, and to the world.

Jesus begins by describing Himself as the true vine and His followers as the branches. In this metaphor, the vine represents the church—a living, unified body so intertwined with Christ that the branch and the vine are nearly indistinguishable. That’s how close we are meant to be with Jesus. So close, that when people look at us, they see Him.

But Jesus also speaks soberly about pruning and burning. Fruitful branches are pruned to bear more fruit. Unfruitful branches are cut off and thrown into the fire. The central message remains: if we do not remain in Jesus, we can do nothing. Apart from Him, we are lifeless.

To abide means to stay connected—to live in Him, to depend on Him daily, to obey His words, and to allow His life to flow through us.

Is my life so entwined with Jesus that His character shows through me? Am I bearing fruit that brings glory to the Father?

In the middle of the passage, Jesus shifts the focus to our relationships with one another. He commands us: “Love each other as I have loved you.” (v.12)

Love isn’t optional for a believer—it’s the defining trait. Jesus reminds us that you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. He calls us friends, not merely servants, because He has revealed the Father’s will to us and appointed us to go and bear fruit. This love is not just kind words or surface-level smiles. It’s sacrificial, patient, forgiving, and deeply generous.

To be in the vine is to be in community—woven into a body of believers who reflect Jesus by the way they love one another.

How am I loving the people in my church, my small group, or my family of faith? Is my love sacrificial, or is it selective?

Jesus closes this conversation with a sobering reality: the world will hate you. Not because of who you are, but because of who you represent. The same world that rejected Christ will reject those who follow Him. But this rejection is not cause for fear—it’s a mark of identification with Jesus.

The world’s hostility is rooted in ignorance of the Father, and we are called to respond not with retaliation, but with truth and perseverance. The cost of following Jesus is high, but the reward is greater still. Every sacrifice, every insult, every hardship for His sake is worth it.

Do I shrink back from following Jesus openly because of what others might think? Or do I embrace the cost, knowing I do it for Him?

John 15 reminds us that following Jesus is not a solo journey. It is a life of abiding in Him, loving others deeply, and facing the world with courage. The true vine nourishes, shapes, and sustains us. Our job is to remain—faithfully, humbly, and fruitfully—in Him.

~~~~~

Jesus, You are the true vine. Help me to remain in You, to trust Your pruning, and to bear fruit that brings glory to the Father. Teach me to love others the way You loved me, and give me courage to face the world unashamed of Your name. Let my life be so rooted in You that others can’t help but see You through me. Amen.

July 10 2025