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.
John 15:5 ESV
This month, I’m reflecting on abiding in Christ.
I’m doing this creatively by using the February faith art box from Creative Retreat Kits (referral link) called The Vine.
In the devotional, Jessica Drews, the author, writes that the life of a plant depends almost solely on the quality of the gardener’s care. When it is well cared for, the plant thrives and produces fruit. Reading this filled me with such gratitude for God and His caring hand!
I’m not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve tried caring for many different types of plants, including succulents which are supposed to be easy, but they always die. I think that’s because I really didn’t care enough to learn how to care for them properly. But He knows us so intimately, the deepest parts of our hearts, and knows exactly where we need pruning to thrive. When I reflect on the pruning He’s done in me, His care is very evident.
Last year, my focus was on growing, blooming, in grace. I remember at the start of the year, when He gave me this focus, He set on my heart that blooming in grace wasn’t so much about what I would be doing, but on what He would do. All I had to do was surrender to his pruning, abide in Him through prayer and read His word seeking to know Him better.
I’ll admit the year was a very difficult one but it was also the best year because it’s also when I felt THE closest to Him. He tended to my heart to remove my inability to love well, be gracious and content in all circumstances. This is so that, now, I can flourish to bring Him glory.
Jessica writes that Jesus describes himself as a life-giving vine who provides sustenance that the attached branches need to produce fruit. She also says that the type of fruit that is produced is determined by the plant itself (an orange tree yields oranges, etc). So, when we remain in relationship with Christ we produce fruit that resembles Christ, and this glorifies the Father, the master gardener.
