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The Vines of Life and Living
We have all seen vines. They crawl along the ground. They creep up a tree. According to man’s definition, a vine is a stemmed plant that climbs by twining along the ground or object. (Twining is to twist together or to coil around a support.)
According to God, Jesus is the vine – the support - and we are the branches. Just like the branches cannot live without the vine supplying nourishment, we cannot live without God’s nourishment.
God is the source of life to everyone, Christian and non-Christian. In Proverbs, we read that God is the Maker of all (Proverbs 22:2) and He provides sight to everyone (Proverbs 29:13). According to Job 12:10: “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Without the sustaining power of God we would die and wither away.
As I read the verses in John 15 about the vine and the branches, I think about my own life and walk with Christ. Am I attaching myself to Christ and relying on Him as my support? Am I being fruitful in my witnessing? Am I carrying and sharing Jesus with everyone I meet? Although I am certainly striving to live in a Christ-like manner, I admit I fall woefully short many times. I find it difficult to witness to my family, yet I can speak to a complete stranger about the love of Christ.
When going out to eat, my fiancée and I pray together before a meal. Sometimes the server will come by, but stop and return a few minutes later. A neighboring table will see us pray and later comment to us how nice is it to see public prayer. Children at the next table might ask their parents what we are doing; occasionally the parent answers “they are praying.”
While standing in line, we often discuss our relationship with Christ – who He is and how we can improve our walk.
When parting company with others, we often say, “God bless” instead of the customary good-bye.
Each of these instances is a way to openly bear fruit for Christ. People are often drawn into our conversation and the opportunity to witness arises. As we speak our testimony for Christ, we are attempting to entwine another person into the fold for the Glory of God.
Just as it is important to be a visible witness, it is equally important to be a witness in our own households. We pray together, and we pray separately in the privacy of our individual homes with no witness other than God Himself. We ask for strength and confess our shortcomings and weaknesses. We ask for guidance so we can continue to spread God’s word.
Just as the vine’s branches are visible to our eye, so should my walk with Christ be visible to others. I should be seen reaching out to those in need or just being a friend to someone. Clinging to my vine (Christ), I can spread His love to others.
Bearing fruit means, simply, being productive for Christ so that I will bring glory to God.
All references from the NIV Bible.
Copyright 2005
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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