The Vine and the Branches
Above photo courtesy of Steven Xiong Photos
Yesterday, my girls and I read John 15. Verse 1-8 reads, ‘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[a] 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.
These verses were very clear to my girls. They understood that if a branch (us) is not connected to the vine (Jesus), it will eventually wither away. They also noted that a withered branch could not bear fruit. They associated the fire to hell. They read that God our Father is the gardener, or the one who cuts off the dead branches and prunes the branches. Then they mentioned how pruning can be painful, because God is trimming off all the bad parts. God does this so that the branch/tree can grow bigger and stronger. I was impressed at how much they knew and comprehended!
I asked them, if a branch has one fruit and the other branch has five, which one is better in God’s eyes? They said neither, because each branch is in its own phase of growth. God loves all of the branches. I asked if a branch was dead, would it be able to bear fruit? They said no. We then talked about how once someone is in hell, they can no longer be with Jesus so we must continue to read God’s Word and do what God says (remain in him). We also talked about how it's our responsibility to share Christ with others. These were good lessons for them to learn. If my 9 and 11 year-old can understand these concepts, I feel that we should be able to also. We cannot do anything without Christ. We cannot fix all of our problems; it isn't our job. We may try, and seem to be doing well for a little while, but the reality is that we need God. God is the One who is always in control, who is just waiting for us to ask Him for help. Another reality is that those who don’t have Christ, will be thrown in the fire so we must tell others about Jesus, and make sure we are not getting off track. Like my last post said, it is easy to get off course and forget about God (Getting back on track), so it's our duty to constantly check ourselves to make sure we are living for God, reading His Word, praying, and letting God prune us.
Let us Pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Thank you for this lesson, and for allowing even children to grasp this concept. We all have a need for you, whether we will acknowledge it or not. Call out to those who are far from you, before it's too late. I thank you for them, and pray for their Salvation. Lord, I also want to thank you that you take the time, love, and energy to prune us. I thank you for your love for us, and for your Son Jesus Christ, who is our bridge to You. I thank you for your promise of eternal life, and the work you are doing in us. Help us not to despise your discipline (John 5:17) because you correct those you love (Proverbs 3:12). Continue to work in us, prune us, grow us, and guide us. Let your Will be done. I pray this in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen
Prayerfully,
Pam
