Connected to The True Vine

John 15:5 NLT

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Think of a beautiful fruit tree with an abundance of ripe fruit ready to eat. Not only does the tree look healthy, but because the tree is healthy so is the fruit. How does fruit grow if it is not connected to the vine? It won’t! We must be connected to the vine, Jesus, to bear good fruit.

What is fruit in our lives? Fruit can mean an answered prayer, winning souls to Christ, fruit also represents becoming more like Christ and represents qualities of Christian character.

Galatians 5:22-23 KJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We cannot experience the fruit of the Spirit without being connected to Jesus. We find true joy and peace in him. If we become more and more like Christ, we should begin to see the fruit of the Spirit at work in our lives. When we pray, we can feel the peace of God. This fruit is evident when we pray but also in the midst of a storm. Perhaps you can remember going through a storm before, but you did not pray through it as much as you would now. With a better understanding, you know now, to pray through the storm and that you can still have peace in the storm. This is bearing fruit, peace is fruit.

Here’s another example, we gain patience when we respond to situations differently. Maybe there was a situation in the past where you didn’t have much patience, but now that you have the fruit of patience, you are not anxious but waiting patiently with peace. We can only bear fruit through Jesus. The Holy Spirit will give us the fruit of the Spirit when we ask. There are also many tests and trials when we are pruned in many circumstances. Throughout these circumstances, we are able to bear fruit once we have been tested. After we are pruned, we bear more fruit.

John 15:1-3 NLT

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.

After pruning, we have more joy, we can experience more peace. Maybe you learned something from your last trial. Maybe you could have handled a situation differently. You could have stopped and asked God what to do before you made a decision. You have more wisdom which will help you to bear fruit. Keep bearing fruit and you will no longer make the same mistakes in the next test or trial.

When we read the word of God and hear the word of God, we are being pruned from what does not align with the word of God. Even our thoughts should align with the word of God. A good thought process comes from a good vine. If a vine is rotten, so is the fruit. If connected to a worldly thought process, your thoughts will be rotten. If connected to Jesus, your thoughts or perceptions will be made pure. When you stay connected to God's word and keep your mind on Christ you will be kept in perfect peace (Isaiah 26: 3). When we are connected to the vine, our thoughts are connected to the vine.

Isaiah 26: 3 NLT

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Ephesians 5:9 KJV

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth

Philippians 4:8 KJV Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Ask yourself, do my thoughts align with the word of God? Am I connected to the true vine?

Proverbs 23:7 KJV

7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Make sure your thoughts are coming from the true vine and not a rotten vine. God can cleanse us of unclean thoughts. We must first surrender to Him and ask Him to deliver us.

After pruning, a vine will bear fruit and continue to grow.

How do we grow in Christ? We must first have a relationship with Him. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can produce a harvest through Christ. We cannot do anything in our own strength, but everything through the strength of God.

Philippians 4:13 KJV

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Anything that is done in our own strength will fail but with God, we will succeed.

Is Jesus the true vine in your life? Do you depend on God to bear fruit? Or are you trying to produce results in your own strength? Allow God to prune you so that you may be fruitful. What does God prune us from? Everything that is not like him. He prunes away sin, poor behavior, even a bad understanding. You can be pruned from anger, unforgiveness, fear, guilt, lack of confidence, and anything that hinders your walk with God. When God prunes us, He helps us to see our lives through His eyes and understand the world in a different way. Our perspective must shift to be in alignment with God’s vision and perspective.

Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Let us pray that our thoughts will be in alignment with the way God would have us to think and our perspective will begin to align with the way God has envisioned our lives. While we do not know everything, God does, and we trust that His way is better than ours. Let us remember this in every situation. We can bear the fruit of understanding and patience as we pause to consider that our trials are for a reason (James 1:3). God is with us in them, and we can still have peace as we go through trials. When we are pruned and bear fruit, we do not let the trial take up our focus, but instead put our focus on God. We have an increase in trust, growth, and understanding. God can prune us from our own ways and desires so that we do not walk in impatience, complaint, or begin questioning why things are happening, instead, we begin to walk peacefully in God's will and His plan with trust and faith. Let us be grateful to be pruned, that we may produce more fruit than we ever imagined. Are you willing to be pruned? Are you connected to the vine? Remember, without God, we can do nothing. With Christ, we can do all things.

Scriptures

Luke 18:27 KJV

27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Philippians 4:13 KJV

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

• We cannot depend on our own strength but must depend on God’s strength.

Psalm 119:92 KJV

92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

• Focus on God not the trial. God gives us joy and peace even in the midst of a storm.

James 1:3 KJV

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

John 15:1-6 NLT

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!