Key scripture- “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. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine, you are the branches.” (John 15:1-5).

We have all heard the cliché: “It’s not what you know but who you know.” If you are a Christian that is saying a lot because you know the most powerful person in the universe, the Maker of Heaven and earth, all things are made by Him through Him and for Him, and nothing is impossible for Him.
William Watley talked about the importance of how we all need to realize that Jesus is the greatest of all connections:

You are connected to somebody who is not only the Alpha and the Omega, but the Nu as well. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; Nu is the middle letter. Thus, Jesus is not only somebody who will be with us in the beginning when we’re born and at the end when death comes. He abides with us in all that is between . . . in the middle. In the middle, when temptation comes to turn us around. In the middle, when Satan attacks to dismantle and destroy. In the middle, when friends become few. In the middle, when resources run short. In the middle, when the unexpected shakes the foundations of our lives. In the middle, when relationships are severed. Yes, in the middle. Therefore, we can continue to abide in Jesus. He is sufficient for whatever comes between our beginning and our ending.

The kind of abiding that Jesus speaks of in John’s Gospel is a lifelong abiding accomplished through faith and obedience. Furthermore, we abide not as a single branch, isolated from others, but in union with Christ and with other believers. Together we are branches of “the true vine.”

It is no accident that Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine to describe himself and his disciples. In Palestine, abundant vineyards were considered a sign of God’s favor. Vines, in fact, were labor intensive that grew best in peacetime, producing grapes that could be eaten fresh or made into raisins, grape juice, wine, and even a jelly-like substance called honey. No wonder the vine was a symbol of peace and prosperity. Numerous times in the Old Testament, God had referred to Israel as a vine. But Israel was a wild vine that had failed to produce the rich harvest God intended. “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?”(Isaiah 5:4). By calling himself the “true vine,” Jesus was saying that He was the true Israel. Jesus and those who belong to Him will fulfill God’s plan for the world.

For each of us, abiding in the true vine is a lifelong, sometimes painful process. Like branches on a vine, we have to be pruned and cut back so that we can be more fruitful in the future than we have been in the past. Just like a tree, when God is changing and shaping us, He trims us all the way down to the trunk, and that is when we start to see new branches sprouting up, which are new ways of thinking, new attitudes, a new way of acting, forgiveness, peace, patience, kindness, love, gentleness and self control. All of this happens when we are attached to the true vine, which is Jesus.

Apart from Christ, the vine, we shrivel and die. But united with Him we experience the God-blessed life, which, as Paul told the Galatians, produces “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Indeed, we are all called to bear fruit that will last.

So today, ask God for the grace to see your true purpose in life, which is not to be blessed but to become a blessing, becoming more like Jesus, and bearing the sweetness of Jesus to all who are hungry for Him.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be the true vine through whom the world would be saved. I give praise, thanks, and honor to You that because of Jesus I am a branch of the true vine. Jesus is the richest, most vivid picture of God bending toward me, sharing my weakness, and shouldering my burdens. He is the true vine that I abide in, so that I can bear fruit for God’s kingdom. He is the loving God who will never abandon me, but Who is present with me always. I confess and turn from any disobedience in my life that makes it difficult for me to abide in the true vine. I want You to prune all sin and iniquity out of my life and use whatever means are necessary so that I can be fruitful for Your Kingdom. I know that abiding is not a one time experience, it is a day by day, minute by minute process, but I can do it through the Grace that You pour out on me, because when I am weak, You are strong. Let Your power be made perfect in my weakness. Praise The Lord! In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.