Guest Blog - The Vine

John 15:5

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

I love this verse. When the almond bloom was just starting, I looked across the field and felt like the Lord reminded me of this.

The almond tree has a very impressive root system. But, commercial nurserymen have found that if they take the almond tree and graft its root stock with a stronger disease resistant root system such as the peach tree, they get the benefits of a root that grows deep plus high disease tolerance. It becomes even stronger because they're connected.

That root system anchors the tree firmly in the ground so that it can sustain the weight of the nuts that will be born of the hundreds of blossoms on its branches. That more vibrant root system can nourish the almonds on the tree helping them to size and put on the weight that will make them the delectable food we love so much.

Later the almond tree is harvested by an automatic shaking machine which literally grabs the trunk and vibrates the nuts off the tree. You can see that if the almond tree isn’t anchored in the ground it cannot withstand the challenges it will meet of simply being an almond tree.

Father tells us in His Word that if we desire to bear fruit in our lives, there is only one way to guarantee it; we must be connected to Jesus, the Vine. If we are connected in fellowship, abiding in His presence, we will manifest the fruit of His spirit. Much fruit!

Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

Just think about how key these fruit are to our success in life. I think we have oft-times categorized these as optional “when I make it” virtues of the Lord. On the contrary, when we call on the Lord Jesus and accept Him as our personal Savior, we have these fruit living inside of us. All of them!

It is up to us to practice them and believe they are activated inside of us so that they spill over to the outside. When they do through our decisions that we make daily, we will find that the blossoms which cover our tree and bear the potential to become fruit… will manifest! And the more that we abide in His presence, talking and walking with Him daily, the bigger the “crop” will be.

I love a bumper crop! Don’t you?

When my husband and I harvest a field of almonds and get the report on the “daily turn-outs” we excitedly talk about the yields. It’s one way we have of judging our success. We work hard and we want to be successful.

God has laid down the foundation for our success as a Christian. It is not onerous. It is a joy with rewards to be connected to The Vine and bearing much fruit in the Kingdom of God!

John 15:1-17

The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

2 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.

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in me, as I also 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.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

17 This is my command: Love each other.

Father God, Today I pray that those of us who know you would stay connected to you through the Word and deed, so that we can be examples to a world that needs the blessing of following you and being called by your name.

In Jesus’ name…Amen! Thank you for sharing!

Debbie