Jesus is the Vine

 

Steve Thomason

 

                                                                “I am the vine, 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. John 15: 5-6 (NKJV)

               

                               

Jesus continues his comparison by stating that He is the vine and those who follow Him are the branches. That is a potent statement for the disciples to hear. He continues by saying something that must have shaken them to their cores. Simply stated, he tells them they can do nothing to save someone or to minister to their broken spirits unless He is present and working in the circumstance. We must remember this when we present the Gospel to those around us.

 

Per the scripture, those who do not abide in Christ and chose to continue going their own way are punished for their disobedience.

 

Without Jesus’ guidance in our lives, we cannot become the persons He has planned for us to be.  We must learn to remain in Him, no matter what we face in our earthly life.

 

A couple at our church went through a very difficult time. They both lost their jobs; then, they lost their house. The husband decided that they would stay with God and see how He would work things out for them. The church helped them by referring people to them if the people had odd jobs that needed to be done. They found a place to live. He found a new job within walking distance from their new home.  He shared this story when he was asked to speak on Laity Sunday one year.