"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. John 15v1

When we trust in Christ as our Saviour we become as it were a branch of Jesus. That is we belong to Him, and He would like to work in our lives, that we might bear fruit. This is not just that others may be Saved but that we might grow as Christians, for more on fruit see our studies on the fruit of the Spirit

By trusting in Christ we are cleansed from our sins but if we are to bear fruit then we must abide in Christ. Without Him we can do nothing, but by praying, reading His Word, the Bible, and seeking to do His Will we can bear fruit. But it is up to us, Christ never forces Himself upon us, He leaves us whether to serve Him or to live for ourselves.

Some Christians are concerned by verse 6 they think that this may mean they can lose their Salvation. However, what is actually lost is not our Salvation, for once we have trusted in Christ we are Saved for all eternity, but instead we can lose our rewards. Compare this to 1 Corinthians 3v8-16 and we will see that though our works may be burnt up by the fire, we ouselves are Saved.

So my fellow Christian, we have a choice to make, God doesn't force us to do anything, He leaves it for us to decide if we want to be Saved or not and if Saved then whether we want to live for Him. Will we just carrying on with our lives seeking to please ourselves? Or will we live for Christ? Abide in Him, read His Word, pray, and seek to live our lives for His glory?

Please send any comments you have on this article to a.wood@assemblyyouth.net

Editorial the God of the impossible		Spending time in the Scriptures Zepheniah
	I am's of Jesus Christ

All quotes are from the English Standard version of the Bible unless otherwise specified.