I’m going to point us to John chapter 15, verses 1-8, and I am going to need a special dose of your patience and grace this week if I go a little longer than usual, because these are some of my favorite verses of the Bible. We will only focus on memorizing verse 5 which says:
“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
Picture a grapevine with a thick and healthy trunk and many branches with delicious, life-giving fruit hanging from each one. This image is easy for us to visualize and understand, right? All nutrients come from the trunk, which is planted in the rich soil. All nutrients are absorbed from the soil through the roots going to the trunk then into the branches, and as a result, fruit grows on those limbs. The branches do not do anything but bear, or display, the fruit. Again, all the “work” comes from the trunk which is planted in the rich soil. This is how any plant produces the foods we eat. One more time: the trunk is planted in rich soil, the nutrients flow from the soil to the roots, through the trunk, into the branches, and plop, fruit appears.
This requires a Good Gardener who makes sure the soil is rich with nutrients, right? These verses I mentioned above would call Him the Vinedresser, but in our example, let’s call Him the loving, skillful, wise Good Gardener. The first trick in helping this analogy benefit us to the greatest level is to know, without question, what each of these symbolize: the Good Gardener, the Roots, the Vine, the branches and the Fruit…let’s begin tomorrow, but leave your comments below if you are getting where I am going with this simple example.
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
