Alive on the Vine: A Look Into John预览

Day 2: Living Branches

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 (John 15:5 NIV).

Throughout John, Jesus has made distinctions between two realms: the one he came from and will return to, and “the world” God loves but currently lies under the influence of an illegitimate ruler—realms of spirit and flesh, of light and darkness. Jesus has portrayed himself as the gateway or intersection between those realms—the eternal Word made flesh as a human being. All of it is God’s creation, even the world under evil influence. But Jesus knows what will last and what won’t.

If human beings are going to do anything of eternal consequence, it will have to be generated from the invisible realm of glory. And because Jesus is our only link to that realm, it will have to come through our connection with him. That doesn’t mean our only meaningful work is spiritual rather than physical—God’s Kingdom is to break forth on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)—but it will have to be part of the new or restored creation, not the fallen one that is fading away (1 John 2:17). Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing that lasts.

That’s the image Jesus presents of the branches on the vine. We aren’t just following a teacher. We’re being infused with life from the Eternal One. It’s a different kind of life than we’ve known, and it produces a greater fruit than we can imagine. Familiar science fiction stories of some life-giving element or self-regenerating substance from another galaxy only hint at this spiritual reality. The source of life himself fundamentally renews us through our connection to the eternal vine.

Jesus has described this renewal as being “born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-6), but the image of branches on the vine shows how the Spirit sustains us. It’s relational, thorough, and constant. We don’t just live with him. We live in him.

Re-Envision Your Fruitfulness

Many Christians view their lifespan as a temporary passageway to eternity, but it’s so much more. Envision it instead as a window of opportunity to draw your entire life from eternity and invest your entire life back into it. There’s a huge difference between seeing items on your to-do list as opportunities for everlasting fruitfulness and seeing them as obligations to endure until you can get some more time to rest. You should still enjoy rest—vines don’t constantly bear fruit—but life is more than living for weekends, vacations, and retirement.

Jesus pours his life into you constantly as you believe in him. Maximize that life for eternal gain. Receive all that the vine offers and let it produce in you all that it can.