BEING IN THE VINE

John 15:1-8

I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so that you will be My disciples.

In this passage we read that YHVH is the husbandman (gardener), Y’shua is the root (vine) and we are the branches that produce fruit. But what does this all mean?

Well, let’s look at the life of a grapevine and what must happen before it can produce fruit.

Firstly, the most important component of any plant is the root. The root provides the rest of the plant with the nourishing sap that it needs to grow with. The root also anchors the plant so that it does not fall over or is uprooted easily. In the same way, Y’shua is our root who provides us with rich nourishing sap. Through Him produce the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). When He is the anchor of our life, we can not be blown over (Psalm 23). No matter what hardship comes our way, we will stand strong in Him. (Phil 4:13) Yes, there are times when we feel that we just want to give up and it feels as if our hearts have been shattered into a million little pieces, but Y’shua is a heart mender! When we stand in Him we shall not be shaken.

Secondly, the branch can only produce fruit if it is connected to the root. This is a simple truth: we will not produce any fruit if we are not connected to Him (1John 2:6). No matter how hard we “work” at having a fruit-filled life, we will not gain any fruit unless we are in Y’shua.

Thirdly, the vine uses up unnecessary energy by keeping fruitless branches alive. For this reason, the husbandman prunes the vine in order to preserve energy so that healthy fruit can be produced. The same is for us, we cannot produce fruit in a sinful and unclean life, no matter how hard we try, the more we are of the world the more we will be fruitless. We are in the world, but not of the world (John 15:19).

So, how do we bear healthy fruit? We have to allow the husbandman to thoroughly prune us. This may not always be easy. He may allow us to go through some hardship so that certain aspects can be cut out of our lives and that we may be used for His Kingdom in the way that He wants us to be. That does not mean that all hardship is from Adonai. Everything that Adonai puts in our path benefits us, even when we do not see it at first. Are you willing to allow Him to prune your life so that you can be used to your fullness for His Kingdom? Do you trust that He knows what is best for your unique, purpose in life? When we focus on Y’shua, we are able to see the whole plan and not just a section of it. So what are you: fruitful or fruitless?

It is a scary thought, but true, that if we do not abide in Y’shua, we will be cast out to dry up and be burnt. Spiritually our lives will be dry and the fire that awaits us is the fiery river of hell. YHVH is very clear, there is no in between. We are either hot or cold. When we are lukewarm He spits us out of His mouth. (Rev 3:16)

When we abide in Y’shua, we are able to come before our Abba Shebashamayim (Father in Heaven) and ask for anything He wills to give us. That does not mean that we He will grant us a Ferrari when we want it, we need to seek His heart and ask for the right things (Matt 6:31-34). When YHVH asked King Solomon what he wanted he asked for wisdom. For this reason, YHVH blessed him over and above with all the material things he possessed, as we know Solomon was the richest King.

By bearing much spiritual fruit, YHVH is given the glory. Also, when we are granted the desires of our hearts, YHVH gains all the glory. I find that it is hard to be selfish when we receive a gift from above. However, sometimes we are so blinded by our own self-wants and self-needs that we do not notice when we receive a gift into our hands. The amazing thing though, is that when we abide in Y’shua, we notice these gifts, or blessings.

So are you ready to trust YHVH’s abiding presence in your life? Are you willing to produce His fruit?