CONNECTED TO THE VINE

 

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John 15:6 (AMP) I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

Let’s first look at this key scripture from the natural standpoint.  Let’s consider a tomato plant.  The vine is what supplies sustenance to the branches which allow the fruit (tomato) to be produced.  If that branch or some part of it is somehow severed from the vine, it will wither and die because the vine is its life source of the nourishment that it needs not only to be sustained, but to thrive.  Even if it already has fruit budding (a future tomato) on it, it too will die. That means that the vine is vital; so is the root system.  The root system supplies water and nutrients drawn from the soil that stabilizes and makes the entire system healthy and viable. If the root system is somehow compromised, then the entire plant will die.  Now, if a branch becomes diseased from bugs, etc, it must be completely removed and discarded because it is of no value to the plant nor can it produce fruit.

From the spiritual perspective, Jesus is the vine from which we draw spiritual sustenance and we are the branches.  The root system represents God Who communicates with Jesus.  God is our foundation and source, and He feeds/leads/supplies us with what we need through Jesus & the Holy Spirit.  Without that vital connection, we can neither love others nor bear fruit.  In verse 1, God is referred to as “the vinedresser” or gardener (depending on the verson) whose job it is to prune whatever it is that hinders our spiritual growth ability to produce fruit...whether the "fruit of the Spirit" and leading others to Christ.

As someone who loves plants, I have often wondered if the plant experienced pain when I pruned or cut it back even though I understood that it had no nerve endings with which to send pain messages.  I understood that eventually the plant would be healthier because of it.  When God prunes in our lives, it is not to hurt or punish.  It is to remove anything that hinders our walk & spiritual growth.  

Let us not convince ourselves that we can achieve any good or lasting thing apart from our life source, Jesus.  Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) reminds us, But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

Stay connected to the vine!

Blessings,

~CWP~