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Jesus Christ is the vine and I am the branch. As the branch, my soul must bear fruit in accordance with the will of God who is the gardener, and the will of Jesus who is the vine. What will happen if the branch produces thorns and bad fruit? The Lord Jesus said, “The one who believes in me will do what I have been doing” (John 14:12). If I really do believe in Jesus, then my soul must solely do the work of Jesus.

I have weaknesses because I am in the flesh, but my soul belongs to the Lord, and it must bear fruit according to the Lord’s will. If I believe in Jesus, the works that the Lord Jesus did must manifest itself in my soul. As the work of Jesus was done through the shedding of sweat and blood, my soul must pour itself out likewise. If my soul does not pour out sweat, tears and blood, how can I bear the fruits of the Lord?

My soul does not belong to me but to the Lord. The Lord purchased it with His blood and hence it belongs to Him. Just as lies do not come out from the Lord, they must not come out from me also. Curses do not come out from the heart of the Lord, and thus they must not come out from me. Violence does not come out from the Lord, so it cannot come out from me. The Lord’s eyes are full of compassion, and likewise, my eyes must show the Lord’s compassion. I am not my own, but the Lord’s.

Recently, I have seen strange thorns come out from those who once used to cry out and pray, confessing their faith in Jesus. These are thorns which could never come out from the Lord Jesus who is the vine. They damaged the worship centers with their tools, and smashed the doors and windows. With hammers, metal bars, saws and welding machines they destroyed, cut down and smashed the church property. They moved around in crowds equipped with work gloves and clothing, hiking boots and masks as though on an expedition, threatening and intimating the saints with glaring eyes.

No matter how I look at it, these are not the fruits that come from the vine. Regardless of people’s cries and injuries, they continue to make threats. They say, “We are going to break in.  We are going smash and destroy. We will take over.” Those who display such physical aggression are certainly not the fruits of the vine. Those who pour out lies and blaspheme, who spit on the church and shame it, are not the true fruits of the vine. Indeed, they are not the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus taught us saying, “A good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit.” The sinner receives salvation, the proud is made humble, the aggressive becomes gentle – such are the Lord’s fruits. I am the branch of the Lord, and with the sap that the Lord provides I will only bear the fruits of the Lord. Jesus said that you will know the tree by its fruit, and this is the truth. O my soul, take after the Lord Jesus. Amen.

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Outline translated by Sarah Lee
Letter translated by Sung-In Hong
Interpretations by Sarah Lee

Chief Editor: Helen Nam
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee