The Vine
Read This Week: John 15
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. – John 15:1-5 NIV
We don’t have to do this alone. The great thing about walking with God in life and on a mission is that He provides strength and power for us no matter where we are on the journey. No more excellent word picture in the New Testament shows God sustaining us with spiritual power than the vine and branches in John 15. The imagery of Christ as our lifeline and source of spiritual and emotional sustenance is profound and practical.
Jesus is the vine that gives us nourishment or the ability to grow, while God, the gardener, constantly shapes and changes us. We need this connection. We can’t bear spiritual fruit by ourselves as much as we would like to think we can. Without this connection to Father God through Christ, we can do nothing that glorifies Him. But with this connected relationship, even the down times can be sacred, and the tiny life decisions impactful. Jesus reiterates this in verse 4: No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Coming to grips with our need for God is not easy to admit in our lives or leadership, but it is necessary for growth. It is also key to maturing as we spiritually develop and lead others to do the same. Honesty is at the heart of a successful Christian life and service. A transparent approach brings a commitment to the areas we need to grow and accept responsibility. If we do, the results can be exponential on earth and reverberate in eternity. Verses 5-6 encourage us like this:
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers.
We all need inspiration, direction, and spiritual energy in the minor and major things. Sometimes, just getting through the day requires a spiritual lift. But God can sustain us in our strength and help us in our weakness if we abide in him. Then, after we are filled and nourished by Him, the Lord can use us to accomplish great things for His glory while the world will recognize something different about us and be changed. He says in verse 8 that it is for my Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing that you’re my disciples.
I love this chapter so much. It really shows the core of where everything comes from; ideas, talents, skills, strengths etc.
God drew my attention to John 15 verses 2-3 as well as 17-18 out of the AMPC.
2 Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
3 You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].
17 This is what I command you: that you love one another.
18 If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you.
God said to me, “I want you as part of my tree and My vitality. I do not wish for any of my children to cut themselves from it. The more branches that are grown with fruit, the stronger the tree becomes. Know that when you blossom, you are blossoming with the full support of every other beautiful branch within Me.”
I was wowed by this as God helped me frame this to start to understand the sheer depth of love and support over centuries upon centuries of people that love Him and have shared His love, all starting with Jesus’s direction. Think about the breadth of God’s tree. We have nothing to fear as we have endless generations of those who know and love God behind us and Jesus took the heat of it, starting that journey from absolute scratch for us.
I also was looking at a tree when praying with God and noticed that the trees are grown in such a way that they go straight up, with branches on every side, evenly distributed to allow the tree to reach out and get the sun’s energy. God helped me understand that it is up to us to help even our tree and love others selflessly so that our tree can flourish. It is the branches that get caught up in the ways of the world that get too big for the tree’s health and eventually get cut off or snap. The healthiest trees are the most symmetrical beaming with life. Praise be to God. God, you are so amazing in every single way!!
John 15:16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting,
I love this whole chapter
God drew my attention to these scriptures
He was saying
If your reading this it’s Me that has drawn you here!
I have chosen you, I know your heart and what your going through while you’re waiting for something to happen, always remember there is always going to be something going on in your life, but if you will come to Me to get what you need, peace in the midst of what is going on and do life with Me, and reach out to others to help them for me and with Me you will grow inside your heart, your fruit will grow more and more ❤️
Love each other for Me because I’m all about Love ❤️
What this means to me is in life there’s always going to be some thing going on until the day I go home to be with Jesus but in the meantime, I can love on people for God sometimes it may be hard, but with God all things are possible thank you God that I get to do life with you and I get to reach out and help people for you for the kingdom the family of God ❤️
This Week in the Life: John 14
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John 15
We must stay connected to the vine of Jesus Christ, the very source of our faith the meaning of our lives. For we will produce much fruit as we draw from the vine which feeds our soul in minds. But we always be connected to the Lord in abide in his promises so we can produce the lasting and abundant fruit.
God is saying
You need to allow me to take your branches and prune the parts that become withered so you will continue to bloom.
This week in John 15 I got a song from the message
Seeking
We are seeking you thinking you, we are seeking you our lord wanted your living water to flow through us to the others, we never have to thirst we know Jesus, we are like a tree, growing fruit, becoming stronger within being pruned and trimmed by our lord, growing more and more
Fruit, becoming stronger in our faith, bringing others to our Lord we seek you seek you we are, seeking you our Lord Amen
We are blessed we never have to worry about being thirsty we have our Lords living water in us. Thank you Jesus for your Holy Spirit.