For the last few months I have been reflecting on the analogy of the vine and the branches (The Bible, gospel of John chapter 15). Jesus, on the way to his betrayal and eventual crucifixion shows super-human composure by likening his disciples (and by extension, his followers today…like me) to branches connected to a vine. In sum, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and the Father is the vine-dresser who takes care of the vineyard (including the discomforting process of getting pruned for greater fruitfulness).
But these are just reminders you likely know already. What I want to share this time is some of the ways I have been pondering how one actually experiences Jesus’ saying that we followers must to abide in Him, and He in us, for unless we are abiding in each other we won’t be able to accomplish, or be, anything (my paraphrase; I can’t seem to find my Bible at the moment). So I offer my thought–this isn’t a Biblical exposition, just my trying to work out how this actually should work for me.
1. I abide in the Vine as I make sure He and I are still connected, my faith pairing with His faithfulness. In my experience, there are several heart ailments that weaken my connection (as a “branch”) with the Vine who supplies life and nutrition. One disconnector is apathy–caring too little about what really matters. Then there’s selfishness–caring too much about matters that don’t.
2. I abide in the Vine as I reaffirm the things we are working on together. We are growing certain kinds of “fruit” He and I, and abiding in Him involves checking in, “We’re still in agreement aren’t we?” Since I’m abiding I’m not asking for off-the-charts selfish materiel like bigger paychecks or nicer threads. When I’m intimately connected with Him, I already desire what He desires, so in my prayer we agree together and confirm the “fruit” He wants is the outcome I want too.
3. I abide in the Vine as I ask for encouragement in areas I’m discouraged about. When organically joined to the Man, I have the freedom to be weak, to admit I can’t carry the weight in all areas all the time. I can confess that I am in over my head, that I’ve been promoted beyond my competence, and that I don’t have a snappy answer to a question. The void created by my discouragement makes room for His peace to flow into me, similar to the way branches naturally draw forth the soil’s nutrients through the vine.
4. I abide in the Vine as I ask for, and yield to His perspective. No matter what the issue is, my view is likely a bit tweaked off center. Anxiety is a key indicator that I’m not seeing things properly. So my abiding gives me the natural opportunity to change my thinking (a.k.a. repent) and align my thoughts with His. This new perspective then becomes the substance of my prayer. Hey, if I want answered prayer I best ask for what He desires to give! So I ask the Spirit of Jesus how He would want to pray in this situation, and I get in sync with that prayer with extreme peace of mind and heart.
5. I abide in the Vine as I acknowledge and celebrate all the good fruit He produces in and through me. When I’ve yielded my wants to His will, when I’ve persevered due to His encouragement, you can bet I feel a sense of camaraderie when we accomplish something good together. I can praise Him for knowing what to do, and for choosing to include me in bearing His quality fruit.
