THE  VINE  IS  EVERYTHING!

In the Holy Scriptures, Jesus likens Himself to a vine, the True Vine, and His Father as the husbandman, the vinedresser, the gardener (John 15:1).  Then Jesus proceeds to liken us, the Christian, to the branches attached to Him, the True Vine (verses 2,4-6).

I guess every one of us enjoys the succulent fruit, the grape, which is produced on the branches of the vine.  Not only do they taste good, but they are also good for our health.  The “grapes” that grow on our “branches” speak of the fruit that we bear in our lives as we remain attached to The Vine. 

• Do we have fruit on our branches?

Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:15-20).  Who is He referring to?  He is warning us about false prophets and people who profess to belong to Him but in reality are not attached to Him, the True Vine.  He is warning us that grapes are not produced on thorn bushes, and neither do figs grow on thistles (verse 16). 

If we’re attached to the True Vine then we will produce good grapes.  But if our life is producing thorns and thistles, then it’s for sure that we’re not abiding in the Vine, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Listen to the way Jesus expresses it, “He that abides in Me, and I in him, that person brings forth much fruit, for without Me (Jesus) you can do nothing” (we cannot bear any godly fruit if our branch is not attached to Jesus the Vine – verse 5).

• Are we connected to the True Vine, or are we connected to a thorn bush or a thistle?

• Are we bearing good fruit because we are connected to the True Vine, or are we trying to produce good fruit when we’re really connected to a thorn bush or a thistle?

In Genesis 3:17-18, thorns and thistles speak of being cursed.  The Lord God told Adam, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from, the very ground is cursed because of you; . . .  the ground will sprout thorns and thistles . . .”  

It is only through Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, that we can bear good fruit in our lives, to His glory.  Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.  In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples”  (John 15:7-8).

The human race looks for all kinds of ways to have communion with the God who created them.  Unfortunately, so many people seek their answers through man-made gods, prophets and earthly systems that have no connection or relevance to that which they are seeking.  They are looking to produce good fruit, when the truth is, they are, by nature, a thorn bush or thistle.  The real truth is that, “To all who received Him (Jesus Christ), He gave the power, the authority, to become sons of God; yes, to those who believe on His name” (John 1:12).

Here is the great challenge . . .

• Call upon Jesus now . . . just call out His name . . . JESUS!

• He is God and will give you a revelation of His true identity.

God came to this earth, in the form of Jesus, to dwell among us and truly identify Himself with mankind.  Why would He do that?  Because so great is His love toward us . . . He loves us dearly. 

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life” (John 3:16 – The Message).

  ~ Joan Emery