Our Good Gardener prepares the soil for the best outcome of growth and health for the Roots, Vine and branches. Our wonderful Roots keeps the Vine attached to the soil so that everything that is good can flow through Him to the branches, who bear the Fruit. Our Mighty Vine upholds and sustains each branch so that we can receive all that goodness and grow to bear Fruit.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jn 15:5 NIV
What is the point to this life? To point to the Creator of this life! We, of course, are the branches that do this by bearing much Fruit to glorify Him. This simply means others will get a taste of Who God is as they watch us live out the Christian life. They will catch a glimpse of what it means to love someone selflessly. They will get an idea of what it looks like to keep your peace when life gets rough. They will also begin to understand that we branches are far from perfect, but we increasingly depend on the Vine to keep us moving forward, the Roots to keep us grounded and the Good Gardener to reveal His Will for our lives. Others will see this as we remain IN the Vine, because apart from Him, we can do nothing. I take that quite literally, my Friends. I cannot even sin unless God permits it. Think Satan and the story of Job here. (read Job 1 & 2) And again, remember what we said about how the Father has seen it all and planned for the best case scenario for each individual lives, as well as “The Church” as a whole? If God allows it, there is a good purpose for it, even if the thing itself is not good.
Branches are fragile though, right? If a big rainy, windy storm rolls in, they are in potential danger of get detached and falling off, then withering on the cold, damp ground. Do we do this too? When the trials of life attack, do we push away from God instead of leaning in deeper? Does it seem like we have fallen from God’s Grace and are only experiencing those horrible symptoms of death? The truth is, if you are sincerely IN Christ, our Mighty Vine, then any “death” we sense are only an illusion. It only seems like we are apart from Him, but God will never leave us nor forsake us. (see Isa 42:3 & Heb 13:5) It is, sadly, that perhaps we have left and forsaken Him, and so, we feel like that old person again…but praise God, at any moment, we can turn around, repent, and draw near to God once again, and sense His Grace all over again. Death flees as we submit to God and Life returns. (Jas 4:7)
Oh I can talk about God’s Love and Grace towers us branches forever! But I will say again, without the Good Gardener Who makes sure the soil is rich, without the Roots Who keeps all good things flowing, without the Vine through Whom we receive the flow of the life-giving nutrients of the rich soil, and by God’s Grace, without us branches who work with the Vine to remain IN Him, there would be no Fruit.
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
March: 9- 1Pe 5:7; 10- Jn 8:32; 11- Dt 30:19; 12- Jn 3:30; 13- 2Chron 20:3
April: 14- 2Chron 20:12; 15- 2Chron 20:15b; 16- 2Chron 20:17
May: 17- Ro 8:28; 18- 1Co 13:13; 19- Php 2:12; 20- Mt 5:4
June: 21- Lk 23:42; 22- Jas 4:7; 23- Pr 22:6; 24- Mt 5:3; 25- Jn 14:6
July: 26- Jas 2:19; 27- Dt 31:8; 28- Jn 14:15; 29- Jn 8:11
August: 30- Ro 8:1; 31- Pr 4:23; 32- Pr 18:21; 33- Ps 118:24; 34- 1Jn 4:4
September: 35- Mt 16:24; 36- Isa 53:6; 37- Ps 23:1-6
38- Heb 4:12
39- Jn 15:5
<>< Peace, Diane
