“A TRUE DISCIPLE”
OUR DAILY BREAD READING (Published Daily by Our Daily Bread Ministries)
READ: John 15 (Focus vs.1–8)
MEMORY VERSE
“I am the vine; you are the branches.” John 15:5
BACKGROUND
When Christian Mustad showed his Van Gogh landscape to art collector Auguste Pellerin, Pellerin took one look and said it wasn’t authentic. Mustad hid the painting in his attic, where it remained for fifty years.
Mustad died, and the painting was evaluated off and on over the next four decades. Each time it was determined to be a fake—until 2012, when an expert used a computer to count the thread separations in the painting’s canvas.
He discovered it had been cut from the same canvas as another work of Van Gogh. Mustad had owned a real Van Gogh all along.
Do you feel like a fake? Do you fear that if people examined you, they’d see how little you pray, give, and serve? Are you tempted to hide in the attic, away from prying eyes?
Look deeper, beneath the colors and contours of your life. If you’ve turned from your own ways and put your faith in Jesus, then you and He belong to the same canvas. To use Jesus’ picture, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). Christ and you form a seamless whole.
Resting in Jesus makes you a true disciple of His. It’s also the only way to improve your picture. He said, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5).
By: Mike Wittmer
INSIGHT
When Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine and His disciples as His fruit-bearing branches (John 15:1–8), He gave them a word picture they may have heard before.
Asaph the songwriter and Isaiah the prophet (Psalm 80:8; Isaiah 5:7) had likened their nation to a vineyard that produced a bitter harvest of violence and injustice.
Against that backdrop, Jesus Himself is described as the true and better vine that produces the harvest His Father is looking for. But His disciples still had a lot to learn.
They hadn’t yet abandoned Him in a way that would show them why they needed His Spirit to produce within them fruit worthy of this vine (John 15:9–17).
Neither had they yet experienced that the harvest the Father was looking for was a Spirit-enabled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).
By: Mart DeHaan
APPLICATION
What things cause you to wonder if you’re a true disciple of Jesus? How might this fear drive you to Him?
PR’s (PASTOR RICHARD) TAKE
The world says/teaches: “Fake it till you make it” and we know that never happens but for us as children of God we know He has already made it for us and all we have to do is to walk in the way – pr
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
W are called to be His Disciples not Followers – pr
PR’s RE-EMPHASIS (My Re-Emphasis from Post)
“Look deeper, beneath the colors and contours of your life. If you’ve turned from your own ways and put your faith in Jesus, then you and He belong to the same canvas.”
*YOUR TAKE? 
PRAYER
“Jesus, I rest in You like a branch clings to its vine.”
TODAY’s HYMN/WORSHIP/PRAISE/GOSPEL SONG
“I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST” CJ Madsen
Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
I have been called to declare His word among His people
That they might have everlasting life
Surely, surely,
He hath blessed the house of Jacob
And hath been merciful
Merciful
Merciful
And surely, surely,
As sure as He lives
The Lord will gather in
All of the ends of the earth
One Fold
One Shepherd
One King of Israel
One God
One People
One Jesus Christ
Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
I have been called to declare his word among his people
That they might have everlasting life
Everlasting life
And then shall they know their Redeemer
Jesus Christ
READING THROUGH THE BIBLE THIS YEAR (THIS WEEK)
THE BOOK OF II KINGS CHAPTERS 8-14
THE BOOK OF I CORINTHIANS CHAPTERS 1-8