"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 trims clean 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."" John 15: 1- 4
Jesus is the True Vine, we are the branches and God the Father is the gardener and owner of that vine.
Whenever I prune my grapevines I always worry that I have cut too much off and that I might have ruined the vine. The more I prune the more fruitful each branch becomes. The "Caretaker" always knows what is best for the vine; what branch must be totally cut off and what branch must be kept but trimmed down. And so it is with our Heavenly Father - He is taking care of us (the branches). We all must undergo our own personal "pruning" and it is a lifetime cycle. Sometimes I have noticed that my actions and my life seem to be so fruitful and then other times nothing seems to go right and it is so painful and frustrating. These painful frustrating times are part of the "pruning" cycle that is necessary for a fruitful life.
I looked up the meaning of the word "remain" - to continue in the same state or condition, to stay in the same place, linger, persist. We are to stay with Jesus, to continue with Him - in good times and in bad times - we are to "continue" and "stay" with Jesus Christ. "Remain" has no time limit, it has no ending - it is forever!
It is interesting that the word "True" is used in front of vine. There are many plants that resemble other plants but are not actually the same variety - for example: Poison Oak has Oak shaped leaves and when it has just sprouted it really does resemble what a tiny newly sprouted Oak Tree looks like. This is why there is only one TRUE vine - showing that Jesus is the only way. It is Jesus talking here in John 15 and I believe that he is saying that nobody can get to the Father except through Himself (Jesus). He is also separating himself from any poisonous counterfeits.
Also, the word "clean" is significant - I believe it symbolizes the purifying action by Jesus. We are clean because Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross at Calvary.
Each branch can only receive sap from the vine when there is constant never-ending contact with the vine. Any branch that even has a crack in it will not produce any grapes or it will produce a very little amount of deformed grapes. If we are to live a fruitful life; if we are to truly live - then we must be in constant contact with our Lord and Savior. Numerous times a day we can talk to Him, share our feelings with Jesus- our struggles and our joys. Even when we are not consciously talking to Jesus or praying - just know that He is always there and that the "sap" is always flowing. The Holy Spirit will intercede - the "sap" is the symbol for the Holy Spirit and the "vine" symbolizes Jesus and the branches symbolize us (all of us Christians). That "sap" is then sent out through the "vine" (through Jesus) into each "branch" (each of us).
Let us draw from that vine daily, many times a day. Let us also pray for endurance during the pruning seasons and for wisdom during the fruitful seasons.
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