Stay Connected To The Vine

"I am the Vine you are the branches.  When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.  Separated, you can't produce a thing.  Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire.  But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon."

John 15:5-8 

I am highly anticipating spring and summer this year.  Yes, this crazy winter has helped encourage that immensely, but another reason is because I enjoy gardening and manicuring my flower beds.  I like a clean look so I am constantly eyeing dead branches to cut or dead flowers to remove.  I enjoy spending time in the quiet outdoors (yeah who am I kidding, with 5 kids even the outdoors is never quiet), soaking in God's beauty in nature.  As I was reading this passage from John I tried to picture, in my mind, this scene.  God choosing one beautiful day to head to His garden.  As He strolls along the thick, strong vine He smiles at the branches that are producing much fruit but then He approaches an area that is visibly unpleasing.  Realizing that one branch has broken off and is the reason for this bear spot,  He reaches in to remove it.  God continues this walk through His garden and gathers up many more dead branches that have separated from the Vine, to make room for new growth.  At the end of the day He  throws them all on a pile to be burnt.

Friends, this scripture is both encouraging and alarming.  The encouraging part is God will not just remove a branch that is dying on the Vine.  No, God is patient and He knows that as long as we are connected to the Vine there is still hope that we can gain life and begin sprouting fruit.  As long as we are connected to Jesus Christ and we believe in Him there is still a chance that we could turn from our sinful ways and one day bear fruit again.  But as soon as that branch, so dead and brittle, is blown by the wind or kicked hard enough, it can be detached from the Vine.  When we are living in sin for  a long time we become weaker and weaker.  The living Word is no longer a part of our life and we replace it with something else.  We live less and less for God and more for ourselves.  When that happens there isn't much holding us on the Vine and satan can easily come along and blow us over or kick us down and tempt us away from Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, we can no longer sustain life apart from the Vine. 

As spring approaches and you have work to do in your flower beds and trees to trim and sculpt, remember this vision of God cleaning up His orchard.  Be encouraged that even though you feel far from Him now, as long as you are connected to Christ, there is time for you to change and start greening up and producing fruit.  Just don't wait too long to begin that change and choosing God first in your life because at any moment, if you are weak enough, you could fall to the ground.  You could become like this deadwood and be added to the bonfire.  So stay close to Christ and enjoy the life giving nutrients that come from staying connected to Him!  When you are a part of Him you can produce much fruit!