Yesterday, we talked about being fruitful and today we will follow up with Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches.
“I am the true Vine. My Father is the One Who cares for the Vine. 2 He takes away any branch in Me that does not give fruit. Any branch that gives fruit, He cuts it back so it will give more fruit. 3 You are made clean by the words I have spoken to you. 4 Get your life from Me and I will live in you. No branch can give fruit by itself. It has to get life from the vine. You are able to give fruit only when you have life from Me. 5 I am the Vine and you are the branches. Get your life from Me. Then I will live in you and you will give much fruit. You can do nothing without Me. 6 “If anyone does not get his life from Me, he is cut off like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you get your life from Me and My Words live in you, ask whatever you want. It will be done for you. 8 “When you give much fruit, My Father is honored. This shows you are My followers.” John 15:1-8 NLV
Jesus said He was the vine and the Father is the vinedresser – the Father is the fruit inspector, not us, and we are the branches; it’s the branches that hold the fruit. The life source of the fruit is the vine – the sap (life source – His word is life) flows through the vine and out to the branches and the branches produce the fruit -love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22).
Healthy branches bear fruit. Branches have to be pruned to stay healthy. We had an apple tree in our backyard and it had a large trunk and many branches. Sometimes, I would have to prune the tips off the branch because they were dead. The branch was still attached to the trunk and life was flowing through it but it had a flaw that needed to be removed so that it could produce healthier fruit.
Pruning is beneficial for the branch. Jesus said that the disciples were the branches and that they had been cleaned by the Word He had spoken. God’s Word prunes us. It is given to correct us so that we will be equipped for every good work (producing fruit). When we produce fruit we honor the Father.
Fruit bearing trees don’t produce the first couple of years. During that time they are well watered, protected from disease and drought, fertilized to help them grow strong.
Don’t become discouraged if you don’t see an abundance of fruit immediately. The Vinedresser is protecting us and making sure we have all we need to grow healthy and strong and to produce good fruit. We can depend upon the vinedresser, the Father, to make sure we are nourished and well taken care of even if that means that there are areas on our branch that need to be pruned.
God is faithful. If we stay connected to Him, He will see that we are a fruitful vine!