Grafted In

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

Have you ever been to a vineyard? Have you ever seen how wine grapes are planted and grown? It’s actually very interesting, and it has our Father’s hands all over it.

This past weekend my husband and I went to a local vineyard and actually got to participate in planting grapevines. What we learned set bells off in my head about just what Jesus talked about in John’s gospel. We learned that to grow a great grape, and end up with abundant, high-quality wine, you have to have a great vine. Did you know that the finest wines are made from grapes that are grown on branches that are grafted into a hearty vine. The vines that are the best are ones whose roots grow very deep, even through the most difficult soil, and they have a very special resistance to disease and decay that other vines just don’t have. These special vines are also willing to receive into them the graft of delicate branches of special kinds of grapes that are perfect for making high quality wines. The vine actually protects the branches from the diseases and decay that might otherwise harm the branches and the grapes that grow from them.

Does this sound familiar to you?

fall scents for your home

We are very much like those delicate branches. We are easily blown around by the winds of society, easily parched by the oppressive heat of our trials in the fire, easily drowned by the flooding torrents of the rain of tears and emotions, and easily brought low by the disease and decay of sin. But as weak vines we have the hope of restoration, growth and bearing fruit when we allow ourselves to be grafted in to the vine of Christ. Christ’s roots in the Godhead are deep and strong in even the most difficult soil. The hope we find in Christ allows us to be refined in the fire of our trials. The peace we find in Christ gives us calm in the storms and waves the emotions that we experience in life. Christ’s sacrifice – His love and mercy – His salvation – allows us to break free from the disease and decay, and death, of sin.

And how do we become grafted in to Christ? The answer is just like it is in the vineyard. We must be willing to be cut away from our old roots, and allow our own wounds to be bound together with the wounds that Christ received on the cross. When we hold tight to the sacrificial love of Christ we are joined with Him, and we become strong through Him when we become one with Him.

So if you want to bear good fruit, know that today is a new opportunity to be grafted into the Vine.

Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us your truth in the world around us. Thank you for giving us examples of your Word in the things that we see every day. Thank you for the opportunity to be grafted in to your deep, strong roots. And we know that sometimes being cut away from our old roots can be painful, so help us to look beyond the pain and look forward to our new life in Christ. Bless us and teach us to bear good fruit. Help us to remain faithful, and to abide in you when life tosses us around, when trials are long, and when emotions run high. Thank you for your love, and for caring so much for us. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

Originally posted on ProChristianWoman.

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Grafted In
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