Matthew 5:16. Says, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. And Jesus said: “You don’t need to do anything more. You can’t do anything without me.” But some are afraid of a religion in which nothing should be done. However, the words in John 15.5. they came straight from the lips of Jesus. We notice them with a slightly different emphasis on the first sentence: “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” I am the vine. You are not a vine. You are the branches. And “Without me, you can do nothing.” Note that although this is said negatively, you can also understand positively, as in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ.” With Him, we can accomplish all things. Magnificent, as magnificent is salvation in heaven, and as sure as our belief in eternal life is the truth that Jesus can fulfill his purpose and live his life in us as soon as we surrender to Him. Then we will give birth to many generations. There is hope for a great harvest, for income, for results in the Lord’s vineyard. God himself is eager to see the results to see the harvest. He is a vinedresser, a great vinedresser, and a vinedresser hoping for fruit. He does not expect a bad crop.
How to Let Your Light Shine Before Men?
What, then, is the purpose of sanctification? What is achieved by living the Christian life? What, then, is the purpose of the crop? It is “to the glory and praise of God.” Matthew 5:16. says, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” So, what is the purpose of the crop? The crop should glorify and honor God and thus reveal His love to others. Based on the teachings of Jesus, we have the hope that the harvest will come, the fruit in His vineyard to the glory of Him.
How can you stay on the vine? How can you maintain a close connection with Jesus Christ? When you reach the end of your own strength, when you realize that you are incapable of bearing fruit apart from Him, and when you realize that without Him, you can do nothing, then what do you do? What does it mean to be in Christ, to abide in Christ, and to have Christ in you (“Christ in you” from Colossians 1:27)?
Stay in Close Company With Jesus
These terms refer to a very close community. That’s what it’s about. Christ says here: Remain in the community that began when you first accepted Me as your only hope. Stay in close company with Me. Please do not fall into the trap we talked about earlier and think that the way to stay in communion with someone is your effort to please him, to buy his love with your deeds. Socializing creates deeds, not the other way around. Actions are not a way to stay in communion with anyone. We first accepted Jesus and connected with the vine, not by our attempts to do deeds that would make us important, but by accepting the mighty gift of His grace. However, this does not mean that there is no effort associated with accepting His grace. Most sinners understand that it is tough to renounce oneself and come to Christ. But it is a different kind of effort than trying to be righteous for God to accept us. Effort is needed for the daily recognition that we can do nothing, and effort is also needed in coming to Christ and accepting His grace.
Jesus as Our Personal Savior
Does the daily arrival to Christ cause you problems? This is often the case. You will have to admit that Paul used the right words when he called it a struggle, a “good struggle of faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12) It is not always easy to save one part of the day solely to maintain a personal relationship with God. It is not always natural to stay in touch with Him throughout the day. Sometimes it takes real effort. In John 13, Jesus tells us what our efforts should be directed to. He never asks us to work to give crop – but tells us to be in Him. And if we choose to be in Him, we have no other choice as far as the crop is concerned. The crop will be a natural and spontaneous consequence of remaining in Him. We accept Jesus in the first place by believing in Him as our personal Savior. This is how the community with the vine is established. And it continues that way.
It is essential to understand that Jesus does not place responsibility on us for our actions or our crop. While it is true that we should bear fruit, it is also true that this is accomplished only by faith in Him. “Because you can’t do anything without me.” “Branches can’t bear fruit on its own if it’s not on the vine.” But if it’s on the vine, it will bear much fruit. The crop is a natural result of remaining in Christ.
Source: Excerpt from the book “To Know God” by Morris Venden