I am the Vine
John 15:5-7 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you.
It always amazes me how much you pay for a bunch of flowers. Sure they look nice. Sure, they can convey a powerful message and bring joy to the one who receives them. But in a few days, they’re dead.
Globally, the flower industry is worth – are you ready? – over a hundred billion dollars a year. All for a product that gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling for a few days, and then dies. Doesn’t make a lot of sense now, does it? And neither does putting your faith in Jesus but then, living a life that doesn’t really take Him into account. A life that’s largely separated from Him, much in the same way as all those flowers have been cut off the life-giving plants from which they came. Jesus put it like this:
John 15:5-7 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you.
The whole point of a life in Christ is to live it connected to Him – in prayer, in hearing Him speak through His Word, in a rich, dynamic, life-giving relationship – so that you and I can bear fruit that makes a difference in this world. We can live life like a bunch of dead flowers or like a fruit bearing branch of the Vine. It’s one or the other.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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