September 15

The True Vine

"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, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine." John 15:1-4

Jesus is the vine or the trunk. He is the one who brings nourishment via the Holy Spirit, causing us to grow. Without him, there is no fruit or growth. It is so essential that Christians spend time with him each day and all throughout the day. It is only the branch that is abiding in the vine that brings forth fruit. The Father is the gardener or the vinedresser. It is His expertise that helps us to reach our potential as branches. The first type of branch is the one who does not produce fruit, yet note that the branch is "in me." This translation "cuts off" is a bad one. The Greek word "airo" is used here by our Lord and it means to "pick up; lift up; take up." It is never used anywhere else in the scriptures to mean "cut off". The picture is a beautiful one. When we are new in the vine, we tend to grow close to the ground where we become dirty and the light cannot come in. The vinedresser lovingly lifts us up and ties us to the trellis, training us to live above the world, he cleans off our leaves so that light might come in and we can then produce fruit for His glory and honor. For the branch that is productive the vinedresser prunes it that it might become more productive. The goal is always to help each branch to produce more and more fruit. Grapevines have a tendency to become very bushy with leaves and when they do, the light cannot reach the buds and the grapes are either very sad or don't progress at all. The vinedresser must prune out the things in our lives that are keeping us from being productive. They may not be bad things. They may be activities that we have taken on for Him or our families, but they are hindering our abiding in the vine and our future growth, so they must go. All that the Father removes from our lives by way of trials is for our growth!

Father, thank you for being such a loving vinedresser! I am so thankful that you took such good care of me even when I was unproductive for you. Thank you for the experiences that have caused me to recognize the sin in my life and for removing it that I might produce fruit for your glory. Thank you that you did not leave it at that, but have continued to prune away the things in my life that are showy, but keep me from being really fruitful for you. Continue to prune me and help me to appreciate the love behind it. Help me to abide in Jesus always, that I might be abundant in fruit for you. Amen