“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” JOHN 15;1 NIV

“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.” JOHN15:5 NIV

THE TRUE VINE

Jesus proclaimed that He was The Vine twice in John 15. The first time was in verse 1 and again in verse 5. Any time the Lord repeats things, He is trying to get our attention. "I Am The Vine," enforces what we are not.

In seasons of harvest, there is a temptation to think the success of the vineyard is by our own hand. It's in those seasons where it is particularly important to remember - I am the branch. I am not The Vine. Everything good that I produce is because of my constant connection to the vine. Without the vine, the branch is a dead stick. Without Him I can do nothing!

IF we remain connected in Jesus, we will bear MUCH fruit. Notice, Jesus says "if. "He doesn't say "when" and He doesn't command the connection. He just simply says, "IF you remain in Me... IF you do not remain in Me." The "If" shows that connection to the vine is a choice. We can choose to remain in the vine or not. Jesus makes it perfectly clear what happens when you choose to remain... you bear MUCH fruit. When you don't remain, you can't produce no matter how hard you try.

Fruit is often correlated in the Bible to character. Matthew 7:20 (NIV) teaches, "You shall know them by their fruit." What is produced on the outside is a direct result of what is happening on the inside. The evidence of fruit is well developed character.

In order to produce Godly character, you must be in constant connection to Jesus. Fruit doesn't eat itself! A branch produces fruit for others to taste. If your fruit looks like Christ, it will lead people to Him. The message of The True Vine is that constant connection to Christ is available to all and fruit in abundance is available to all as well. Connection to The Vine isn't rocket science. Jeremiah 29:13 reminds us we will find God when we seek Him with all of our heart. God isn't hiding. IF you seek Him with your entire heart, He will Indeed be found.

FOR FURTHER STUDY, READ: GALATIANS 5:16-25. God's Spirit vs. Our Desires.

If you would like to be able to do a complete study of Chapter Eleven, order a copy of Speak Jesus by contacting Empowered Women's Ministry at empoweredwomen@pcg.org or 817.554.5900 ext. 371. Available also at pcg.org/resources or Amazon.