BRANCHES WITHER APART FROM THE VINE
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing
IN A STORM
When we have a terrible storm filled with heavy rain and wind many times branches break off of the trees. We see the limbs and branches all over the grass and on the road as evidence of a recent thunderstorm and the branches are waiting to be picked up by the city workers or by us when they are on our property. In the coming days if left we see the branches the leaves wilt and turn an ugly brown. Once vibrant, green, and alive, the branch was now lifeless and discolored. It had been severed from its tree and cut off from its source of nutrients, and, as a result was dead.
I AM THE VINE
In John 15:5 Jesus described Himself as the Vine and His disciples as the branches. To continue to flourish and bear fruit, Christ’s followers must remain in Him. As we go through the storms of life, the howling winds may try to blow us down, but we must continue to receive our strength from the true Vine, trusting in Him to keep us strong through all of life’s
Trials
Storms
Circumstances
There are many things that may try to rip a branch away from the Vine and keep it from bearing fruit.
Pride
Temptation
Busyness
Frustration
Self reliance
Fear
Doubt
Disillusionment
Persecution.
When these storm clouds begin to gather
we may begin to neglect our spiritual disciplines. We become more like Martha and less like Mary and spend more time focusing on our worries and circumstances than we do sitting at the feet of Jesus.
MARTHA AND MARY
Luke 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Luke 10: 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
Luke 10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
Luke 10:41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
Luke 10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
WHEN WE TAKE OUR EYES OFF JESUS
AND PUT THEM ON
Ourselves
Other people
Worldly pleasures
Our work responsibilities
Our disappointments
Our circumstances
Or anything else
We are in danger of becoming like a broken branch.
While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said Lord don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.
The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.
WHEN WE GET DISTRACTED & WE TAKE OUR
FOCUS OFF JESUS
WE BECOME
DISCONNECTED
When we are disconnected (not abiding) in God we are relying on
Our own strength
Our own power power
Our own intellect
Our own wisdom
Our own resources
Or we are relying on someone else’s. Both will fail. Human wisdom is not perfect. Humans are not perfect
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
THE VINE
Offers strength and nourishment to the branches. When the branches become disconnected from their source of strength they die. God can do without man, but man cannot do without God.
DID YOU EVER GET A PLANT AS A GIFT
It’s beautiful, leafy,and has bright yellow flower pedals it is vibrant at first. We take excellent care of it . We water it daily and we properly positioned for exposure to sunlight.
HOWEVER
As the newness of the plant wears off we unfortunately forget about it until we noticed it was starting to shrivel. Immediately we poured water on the parched plant and it slowly returned to health.
OFTEN
This physical reality is played out in our spiritual lives. We begin :
A new bible study
A sermon series
An inspirational book
And we are devoted and engaged right away. But again as the newness wears off and our interests or responsibilities begin to change we start wilting. When we neglect nourishment from Jesus the vine, our branches curl up and yellow. Sometimes we can go months without looking at our spiritual reflection, and when we finally see ourselves we are suddenly spurred to take a fervent devotional bath drenching ourselves in God’s word.
While plunging deeply into scripture is never a bad thing, we must remember that reactionary living never produces consistent growth. Abide in Jesus everyday, whether you’re “on fire” at the moment or not.
WITH THE SPIRIT
If you have the Spirit of God in you.... You can do remarkable and unexplainable things that can only be explained by the Spirit of God working in you and changing you.
Dear Father
Who art in heaven thank you so much for caring and tending to our lives. Cleanse us and prune us and take away anything that you discover in us that does not glorify Your holy name. Thank you Father that we are a heavenly branch that is united to our heavenly Vine, the lovely Lord Jesus Christ. May His life flow through ours as sap flows through the branch that is engrafted into its parent stem. Fill us with and inflow Your fullness so that we may live and move and grow and bear fruit as we abide more and more in You. Without you we are nothing and with You we can do all things. We pray in the name of Jesus
Amen.
(Glovsky)