I am the Vine--verse 1 & 2

                                                            Photo credit:  Austin Menzmer

Good Morning Everyone!

It's here--our starting date for embarking on the memory project of John chapter 15.  I have been waiting excitedly for this day--and dreading it--all at the same time!  Remember John 15 has twenty seven verses?  Well, they have been taunting me.  Sending doubts into my mind.  Telling me that I'll never make it.  It's too hard.  Others might be able to but not me--my brain is too out of practice, I am too busy, I will probably fail and then what will others think of me?  It would be better to not even start--then I won't give up, right?  WRONG!

Oh, I would still say that all those things above are probably in reality still true.  It probably IS too hard for me.  My brain IS too out of practice.  I AM too busy.  I WILL probably fail.  But all these things are only looking at me.  And the whole purpose of this is to look at Him.

So here I go.  Jumping into the deep end of the pool.

But even if I have to call it quits and get out of the pool, I will have still spent time focusing on Him.  And seriously--what better thing could I be doing than looking at and studying my Creator and Saviour?  Than spending time beholding Him, so that I might be changed just a bit more in His image?

I can't promise to do this throughout the entire chapter, but as I can I will try and blog about my verses for that week.  This week the schedule is John 15: 1&2.

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  John 15:1&2 NKJV

I have spent a little time reading in several different study Bibles about these verses, and simply thinking about them.  One of the first thoughts that I had was that if Jesus is saying He is the "true vine," that must mean there are "not true vines."    Things that are not good for us.  Things that we should NOT be attached to. . .

"Every branch in Me. . . "  We belong to God, because Jesus purchased us with His blood on the cross.  Jesus paid the price, and we belong to Him.  This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 6:19 & 20 which says "you are not your own,"  and "you are bought with a price."

So what does "bearing fruit" look like?  When we look at the beauty of Jesus, we are changed into that same beauty.  When we abide in Him, we have His sweetness, His fragrance, His light.
He is the light of the world, and if He is shining in our hearts, His light will be shining out of us.  Wherever we go, that popular but very true question will be ringing in our minds--"What would Jesus do?"  This may have become so common we don't even think about it much any more, but there is so much depth in that question for us to ask ourselves.  In my home this morning--with my responsibilities and my children--what would Jesus do if He were here?  What things would He view as most important to get done?  Wouldn't He prioritize people over projects?

One of the study Bible's that I was reading in stated that "If we are indifferent and do not acknowledge Him as our Saviour, we bear no fruit.  If we are not bearing fruit, worldly influences take us away from Christ."  This made me think--it is not that God doesn't want us.  He wants us enough to send Jesus to die for us!  But we ourselves allow other things to sweep us away.  How important to be grounded FIRMLY in Jesus!

A different place I read stated that "a grapevine has only two uses:  either it produces food and drink or it must be cut down to provide fuel."  This statement really impressed me in it's truth.  It makes me think--am "I" a live part of the growing vine, or am I dead wood?  While I may not like the sounds of God "pruning" me, I would by far prefer that than to be cut off and lose Jesus.  No matter how painful the walk, if it is the path God has asked me to take it is the only safe path for me.

Well, there you have it--my random thoughts on these verses for this week.  I hope you enjoy a wonderful week with your Jesus!  And thank you so much to those of you who have left positive comments and encouragement--I appreciate it so much! :)

~Susan