Life in the Vine ~ Valerie Ronald

                                                                                                               image by Pixabay

The intense aroma of boiling grape juice filled my kitchen as I crushed more grapes to make jelly. The clusters of deep purple grapes were abundant, considering how vigorously my husband pruned the vines growing along the back of our garage in the fall. When he was done, only the main trunk and a few branches were left. It was hard to imagine grapes growing next season after such severe pruning, yet the boxes full of fruit on my kitchen floor were proof of its effectiveness. Proper pruning helped the grape vine branches grow back to bear even more grapes than the previous year.

In John 15, Jesus used the picture of the vine and the branches to illustrate the importance of His disciples staying in close communion with Him in order to bear fruit for His kingdom. The fruit they were to produce is that of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal.5:22-23 NIV). He also made it clear that trials the disciples faced were meant to refine or prune them so they would be more fruitful.

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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also 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. (John 15:1-4)

He used the metaphor as a picture of His presence and energy still being available to them even after He was gone. His living Spirit would continue to nourish and sustain them just as the roots and trunk of a grape vine produce the energy that nourishes and sustains its branches while they develop their fruit. Their part was to continue to abide, remain, stay connected to˗˗Jesus, their source of life-giving power, so they could bear fruit, or positive spiritual service for His kingdom.

In meditating on this familiar passage as it applies to a writer’s life, I don’t need to think too hard to recall times when my abiding has been weak and my fruit-bearing almost non-existent. As much as I enjoy writing, life has a way of robbing me of writing time and energy. Family situations, health issues, or church obligations can easily take over if I let them. Sometimes I find it challenging to maintain a consistent, intimate connection with Christ so His Spirit can flow through me as I write. Author and pastor, John Piper, says the essential meaning of our active abiding is the act of receiving and trusting all that God gives us in Christ, so it flows like a life-giving sap into our lives.  

When I am not abiding as I should, then I need to open the channels of my spirit so what Jesus offers can flow freely. He is specific in what He provides.   

 “His words ˗ "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7) 

In order for me to bear fruit through my writing, I need to feed on the Word. The Bible is not just a book of sacred stories and sayings, it is a living book, the inspired words of God that He provided so I can know Him, His plans and His purposes. By spending time in it, I abide in Him and His words abide in me. In turn, His words nourish my words so what I write reflects who He is. 

His love - “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.” (John 15:9)  

My ultimate purpose as a writer seeking to abide in Him is to communicate His love to my readers. Out of the many reasons I write ˗˗ to entertain, to teach, to inspire ˗˗ conveying the love of Jesus is the most important. When I abide in Him, then the fruit borne of my writing is supernaturally imbued with His love.                                                                                                                          

His joy - “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

Jesus delights in sharing His joy. This is not just any joy, it is the life-giving joy of Christ flowing through us like sparkling water energizing our creativity so others will be drawn to what we write. When I write, I feel His joy full and free, giving me a sense of His pleasure in His beloved child using her gift.  

Jesus is explicit in His statement that we cannot bear fruit alone. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4) Nothing of lasting value for His kingdom can be accomplished by us unless we are firmly abiding in Him. He is the vine, flowing His lifeblood through us so that we bear fruit which is actually His. We cannot do so without Him. If we are trying to express spiritual truths as a writer, our words will be empty, no matter how well-written, if we have not first received Jesus Christ into our soul as our Savior. He is not only the source of our salvation, He provides what we need for a fruitful life. Once we have received Him, close communion with Him is essential so His life flows to its full extent into ours.

Our source of life and spiritual fruit is not in ourselves; it is outside us, in Christ Jesus. When our writing bears fruit in the lives of our readers, then it can only be as a result of our abiding in Him. 

                                               

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.