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John Chapter Fifteen
1. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3.Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7.If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
9. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
10. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
14. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
15. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
As I meditated on these scriptures, Jesus spoke to me and asked me to write down these words and share them with you.
He said,
My loved ones, it’s not as hard as you make it out to be. You are trying programs and formulas and schemes and plans, but the kingdom abides in you if you abide in love.
I made it this simple so that you could do it. Just as Father made it simple for me. All that was necessary to accomplish my mission was to constantly abide in his love, and to love you as he loves me.
The kingdom is not some big secret. It is simple. This is how the kingdom can abide in you, because that is where love lives.
There are so many truths in these verses you just read. I would like to explain some of them to you. To begin with. I am not the vine dresser. My Father is. He constantly prunes and cuts things away from my branches. He only does it in love. He is tender and doesn’t do it to punish the branches, but wants to make them bear more fruit. Only a neglected vine is left unpruned.
I also told you that you are clean because of the words I speak to you. If you hear my voice and listen to my words, then there is not much for Father to cut away because you are already clean and ready to bear much fruit.
If you want to truly bear fruit you must abide in me and you do this by abiding in my love. You must constantly be listening to my words of love flowing from my heart to yours. This keeps you full of my love that you can share with others.
I told you that abiding in me means abiding in my love and keeping my commandments. The commandment I gave you is to love each other and lay your lives down for each other. This is also why I told you that you did not choose me but I chose each of you. Knowing that I chose each of you keeps you abiding in my love for each other, you know that the friend you are laying your life down for was chosen by me.
Branches don’t grow wild and attach themselves to the vine. They grow from the vine. This way you will see that the one you lay your life down for came from me. It’s not just some wayward branch that attached itself to me but it grew from me and is in my image. This keeps you in remembrance to love them because they came from me.
Let these words bring you great joy because you were chosen to bear my love and to abide in me. You can hear my words because you came from me and this should delight you to know that you came from me, and you will return to me.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Most of my children don’t understand this verse. They quote this scripture over and over trying to use it to get their prayers answered. This is not a blank check for you to buy anything you want. If my words abide in you then you are clean because of my words. I also called you friends because you hear my voice and you know my plan. If I am your friend and you have laid down your life for me, then you will only ask for things that bring forth more fruit. So, ask of me and I will give you anything that brings forth more fruit so that my father will be glorified in you.
Think about all the prayers I prayed for you in the scripture and the ones I pray for you now. These prayers are only so that you will abide in my love and bear fruit so that the earth will be filled with the garden of heaven.
I don’t want you asking for things that will destroy you or others. Think of this for a moment. If your five-year-old son asks you for an axe to play with you would say no, but if your sixteen-year-old son ask you for an axe to cut firewood for your elderly neighbor, you would gladly give him one.
Abide in my love and become filled with the life blood of heaven. Love is to the vine as blood is to the veins. The life force of heaven is love and it flows throughout all who are attached to me. When I came to earth, I poured out my love and my blood. Pouring out my blood was just a demonstration of pouring out my love. I laid down my life for my friends because of that love.
Now my loved ones. Stay attached and abide in me by abiding in my constant love. Let this love flow to each other and lay your lives down for each other. No more wanting what is best for you, but want what is best for the vine of heaven.
Learn that the kingdom within you is a kingdom of love. Heaven is reversed from the way the world operates. In heaven, we rule by serving, and do not seek to be served. We pour out all the resources we have to love others and all we ask in return is for them to do the same for others.
I told you that if you continue in my word you would be my disciple and you would know the one truth that would make you free. This is that truth. Love each other as I have loved you and you will know what real freedom is.
What will you be free from? You will be free from the greatest tyrant of all; your own will. The human will that is not surrendered to me is the meanest of slave masters. It will drive you to work your whole life for things you don’t even want or need. It will make you it’s slave and force you waste your life on uselessness.
The way of the world is to get your own way and collect all you can, but the way of heaven is to pour out your life as a love offering for others. The one who dies with nothing left to give wins. Just as I hung naked on that cross having nothing left that I hadn’t given for the world. Yet while bleeding and dying on that cross, I searched desperately for one more thing to give away. I found it. It was my prayer. Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing. This is how love lives, and this is how love dies, and this is why love never fails.
This is love my children. This is freedom. This is the kingdom. Abide in me. Abide in my love.
This was the end of the words he spoke to me at that moment.
I hope you are encouraged by these words.
Please love each other and know that your Father loves you and I do also, with all my heart.
Until next time,
Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
michael
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