In The Vine
I named this blog “In the Vine” because of John 15. Of course, I also named it that because I’m going to school to work in the vines, as I am studying to become a winemaker and learning all about viticulture – but verses and sermons about the vine and the branches are what inspired it.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
I think a common misconception in the Bible is the idea of “bearing fruit”. Many Christians tend to think that if we share the gospel and help bring people to Jesus, then we are bearing fruit. But here’s the thing: People aren’t fruit. People enjoy fruit.
Although vines often show symptoms of disease when they’ve become infected and are dying, sometimes they hide it well. Sometimes it takes years for the disease to manifest. So often, we try to take matters into our own hands; we go to church, we volunteer, we take pictures of our quiet times, we tell people we will pray for them, we try to look put together even though we are so worn down and tired underneath it all. We bear leaves, but there’s no fruit. I have been there. I am still there sometimes.
The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And who doesn’t want those things? Don’t we all want to love and be loved? Don’t we all want to live in the fullness of joy? Don’t we all want to be at peace? If we remain in Him, all of these wonderful things will be evident in our lives. And that fruit is something that we can enjoy as much as the people around us can. Who doesn’t want a friend that loves them unconditionally, who’s full of joy, who has a peaceful presence, who is patient and kind and good and faithful and gentle and able to show self-control? People enjoy fruit.
Another common misconception is that fruit has to come first. We think we have to be good before we connect with Jesus. That couldn’t be further from the truth. What kind of vine dresser would expect their vine to produce grapes before it even produces a branch? What kind of person would expect a tree to bear fruit when it’s not even harvest season? It’s a slow and steady process to bear fruit, and it requires constant tending and pruning and changing with each season, but what a lovely process it is. We don’t even have to worry about a thing! If we are in the vine (Jesus) and the vinedresser (God) is the one who is pruning us, all we have to do is remain and reap the rewards.
So how do you remain in Him? Prayer, spending time with Him, worship, being in community… a little bit of all of it. I think it’s mainly a conscious choice to live each day with Him. His mercies are new every morning, and each day when we wake up, we can choose who we want to be that day. We don’t get to choose what happens (much like how plants don’t get to choose the weather), but we do get to choose how we react to the things that happen, and whether we try to go through them on our own. We get to choose to allow Him to be our stronghold – to be the well rooted vine that we cling to. And when we choose cling to Him, life gets so much sweeter.
❤️❤️❤️