November 13

Morning

Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. — John 15:4 BSB

How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus, threw yourself on His great sacrifice, and rested in His finished righteousness. Oh, what fruit you bore in those early days! Do you remember them? Back then, the vine flourished, the tender grapes appeared, the pomegranates blossomed, and the fragrance of the spice beds filled the air!

Have you declined since then? If you have, remember that time of love and repent, returning to the works you did at first. Engage most in those activities that you have found bring you closest to Christ, for it is from Him that all your fruit comes. Any spiritual exercise that brings you to Him will help you bear fruit.

The sun is a powerful force in bringing fruit to the orchard trees, but Jesus is far more so among the trees in His garden of grace. When have you been the most fruitless? Hasn’t it been when you’ve drifted far from the Lord Jesus Christ? When you’ve become slack in prayer, departed from simple faith, or focused on your own abilities instead of your Savior? When you’ve said, “I’m secure, I’ll never be shaken,” and forgotten where your true strength comes from—hasn’t that been when your fruit stopped?

Some of us have learned through painful humblings that we have nothing apart from Christ. When we’ve seen the utter barrenness of our own strength, we’ve cried in desperation, “From Him alone must all my fruit come, for none can come from me!” Past experience teaches us that the more simply we depend on God’s grace in Christ and rely on the Holy Spirit, the more fruit we will bear for God. Oh, to trust Jesus for fruit as much as we trust Him for life!

Evening

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: — Luke 18:1 BSB

If people are always meant to pray and not give up, how much more should Christians. Jesus has sent His church into the world with the same mission He Himself had, and that mission includes intercession. In a sense, the church is the world’s priest. Creation is silent, but the church speaks on its behalf. It is the church’s great privilege to pray and be heard. The door of grace is always open to her petitions, and they never return empty. The veil was torn for her, the blood was sprinkled on the altar for her, and God continually invites her to ask for whatever she desires. Will the church ignore this privilege, one that even angels might envy? Isn’t she the bride of Christ? Doesn’t she have the right to approach her King at any time? Will she allow this precious privilege to go unused?

The church always has reasons to pray. There are always some in her midst who are drifting away or falling into sin. There are lambs to pray for, that they may be carried in Christ’s arms; the strong, lest they become arrogant; and the weak, lest they lose hope. If we held prayer meetings around the clock, every day of the year, we would never run out of things to pray for. Are we ever without the sick and poor, the hurting and struggling? Are we ever without those who seek the conversion of loved ones, the return of backsliders, or the salvation of the lost? Never! With congregations constantly gathering, ministers always preaching, and millions of sinners dead in sin, how can the church excuse neglecting her commission to pray? Let the church be constant in prayer! Let every believer offer their prayers to the heavenly treasury!