Who Is Jesus?ਨਮੂਨਾ

“I AM the Vine.”

Every night, I plug my phone into the charger and let it charge all night, as most of us do. Usually, that gives me enough juice to get through the following day.

I don’t know if you’ve ever done this, but every once in a while, I’ll wake up to find that my phone hasn’t charged at all!

I check to make sure the cord was plugged in correctly. But then, when I check the wall plugin, I discover it wasn’t pushed all the way in.

I assumed the phone was charging, but, in fact, it was only continuing to drain.

Though Jesus didn’t have a cell phone in those days, He understood this principle clearly enough.

He knew that there was no way that His disciples could do anything of real value unless they were “plugged in.”

Now, of course, the language He used wasn’t about electronics. He said:

“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” (John 15:5).

Jesus called Himself “the Vine.” We can understand this. If a branch remains connected to a vine, it can produce fruit; if it doesn’t remain in the vine, it won’t produce fruit. In fact, it will die.

There are times when we are tempted to move away from the Vine. I find it especially hard when the Gardener (the Father) prunes the branches. He cuts back branches that are producing fruit! That seems like a hard pill to swallow. Suffering is never easy.

I spent five years unemployed and unemployable. I had a kidney disease that eventually led to a kidney transplant. In addition, I was struggling with a stress and anxiety disorder.

During that season, I recorded a video sharing my thoughts on what it means to abide with Christ in the midst of suffering. Spoiler alert: my conclusion came down to Christ’s faithfulness in abiding with me as I remained connected to Him.

He is faithful, and He will keep you close to Him. And in that is life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to abide with You. You are the Vine; I am the branch. My only hope for nourishment and fruitfulness will come as I stay connected to You. Thank You that You have all I need. Thank You that You have let me be a part of Your vine. Amen.

Reflection: How do you stay connected to the Vine? When are you tempted to disengage with Jesus? What helps to bring you back?

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