I had a grapevine growing behind my house on a fence. It grew so fast; new shoots would appear seemingly each day. The vine would grab onto anything to keep spreading out. It would grab hold of the siding and climb up the side of the house. I would cut back branches and throw them in a pile. Within one day, they would wither and lay lifeless. The branches could not live without being connected to the vine.
Jesus said in John 17:1-3, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
Jesus is the true vine, the One we must be rooted in. We can do nothing apart from Him. This is the first and most important truth. By remaining in Him, we bear fruit.
It’s sobering to think about being cut off from Jesus. However, the only reason God would cut someone off is because they choose not to remain in Jesus. “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (John 17:5-6). A vinedresser would cut off dead branches because they carry diseases and decay which would affect other branches. Dead wood is worse than branches that aren’t bearing fruit, and must be removed.
However, those branches that aren’t bearing fruit can be pruned for purposes of becoming fruitful. This process in our lives is difficult but necessary. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).
By remaining IN Jesus, through prayer, reading the scriptures, and fellowship with His body, we WILL produce fruit in our lives. We will flourish in our faith and become more like the One in whom we remain—Jesus.