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Jesus is the Vine
Andrea Lende • February 3, 2020
John 15: 4 and 7
Jesus is the Vine
Daily Word:
John 15:4 and 7
“Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.”
“If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”
When I read these verses and think of a vine I somehow think of roses.
Although they aren’t grown on a vine like grapes are, I still think of them.
They are a beautiful flower with the most fragrant scent.
I would never think about receiving long stem cut red roses without trimming their ends and putting them in water immediately.
Why?
I know they would die.
The most beautiful and fragrant flowers would die very quickly without water.
Even when placed in water, they will lose their beauty within a week or so.
They simply cannot live apart from the nourishment of the ground and natural sunlight as they were intended to grow and bloom.
Likewise, I cannot flourish without continual nourishment from the Lord.
I cannot be changed without spending time with Him.
I cannot produce anything worthwhile without His complete and total blessing.
His presence changes me, corrects me, and inspires me.
He is my forever inspiration and my everyday inspiration.
If I cut myself off from Him I become fruitless.
Jesus said, “apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”
On the flip side He said, “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”
I desire to be vitally united to Him.
When I am in His presence I succeed.
And my desires come from Him.
Then He will grant those desires because they are ultimately His.
I cannot manage this by myself.
So I ask Him to continue to keep my heart seeking after Him.
After all, He won’t cut me off from Himself but I may cut myself off from Him.
I pray that He won’t let my heart grow hard and unloving toward Him.
He is faithful to my request.
Today I choose to be vitally united to Jesus and His Father and produce abundant fruit so that I may be used by Him.
May you find that as you are unrelentingly connected to God that He will keep you close and grant you the desires of your heart.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for choosing me to know You. Thank You for sending Your Son to teach me and show me more about Your ways. Thank You for every physical and spiritual blessing You have so generously showered me with. Help me stay vitally connected to You and Your Son. Keep my heart soft toward You, Lord. May Your will be done in my life, always. May the fruit of Your Spirit be in me. Help me do all that You have for me to do here on earth. Strengthen my spirit and soul so that I can walk out Your plan. Help me know that You are with me in every circumstance and in every situation. May You go ahead of me to forge the path. May You stand be beside me to hold me up when I am weak. May You stand behind me to shield me from all harm. Surround me with Your presence, Lord, and keep me Yours. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM completely encircling you and enfolding you in my love.
Response: Thank You, Almighty and all powerful Lord and Savior.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.