GROW

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  2  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.  3  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to
you.  4  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5  “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
John 15:1-5

Our Father God is the vinedresser. The comparison of our God as a vinedresser is
significant in teaching us about who God is. A vinedresser has his vines for decades.
He must care for them, get to know them, and work on them to yield the most productive
crop of grapes. The vinedresser must protect his vines from bugs, lifts it from the
ground when needed, fertilizes it, and nurtures it. God likewise cares for us in that
delicate manner. He protects us from harm, lifts us up, fertilizes us through His Word,
and instills in us the Holy Spirit to help us grow. It takes care and attention to do it
successfully and God oversees us the same way with such care and attention. Growing
and maturing to be productive takes time, effort, and dedication.
I am not much of a green thumb but I do enjoy trying. I have a little plant in the kitchen
window next to my sink. It was a gift from a good friend. I have had her for years. Yes,
to me, my little plant is a she! I love her color and waxy leaves. I thought for sure that
she would not last; however, here she is almost 8 years old! The one thing I do for her
is water her every morning. She has grown exponentially during the years. So much so
that I had to replant her into a bigger pot and right now she needs to be moved again to
an even bigger pot. This reminds me of how God moves me when I get too
comfortable. He changes things in me or around me to help me grow. My friend who
gave the plant to me says I need to create more plants from this one and give them
away to others. Imagine that! That means this plant has “fruit” to give by an extension
of itself. Is that what we are? Are we to give pieces of ourselves out to grow and
further God’s kingdom. Not all “fruit” looks the same and thank goodness neither do the
fruits we have to offer.
I have been afraid to do that with this plant out of fear of killing her and/or the sections I
cut. She has been so grateful and easy, growing so much in my window. I have even
left her there for extended days at a time while away on vacation and yet she grows!
This reminds me of when I keep growing even when I am not as connected as I would
like to be to God. When I ask God to prune me, forgive me, search me and when His
timing is right, I know He will remove those dead, broken, unfruitful branches. It can
almost feel like God is on vacation when this pruning is happening yet He never leaves
us nor forsakes us because He is the TRUE VINE. He keeps us growing.
My little plant has brought me joy, and the fact that I have not killed her has made me
want to grow other plants. Here are the two simple lessons from growing my plant.
1. Water every day, meaning spend time with God daily. (Stay connected to the vine!)

2. Share God’s love with others. (…bear more fruit…)

*Notice in the picture that there is a leaf in the shape of a heart.*