The Master's Vineyard

"I am  the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser."    John 15:1

Who doesn't like a nice glass of wine? When we enjoy a glass of vino we tend to give credit to the wine master--the one who mixes and tastes and pours and waits until the wine is the perfect blend in the perfect balance at just the right time. But really, creating that delectable glass of wine starts with the grapes. To grow good grapes it takes tender care throughout the entire process, from choosing a location to preparing the soil to caring for the grapes and tending the vineyard. And that, friends, involves something called pruning. On the night Jesus was betrayed, after they had eaten, he asked his disciples to follow him outside. Along the terraced slopes of the Kidron Valley they passed ancient vineyards that had been producing grapes for generations. There Jesus stopped to offer them a lesson, as he so often did, using the simple elements of this earth as an analogy: "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser....every branch that bears fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...I am the vine, you are the branches."  John 15: 1, 2, 5 Why would Jesus talk about growing grapes when he was just hours from his death? Most of us have an idea of what it means to prune a grapevine, but do we know why? One horticultural bulletin puts it this way: "The vine's ability to produce growth increases each year, but without intensive pruning the plant weakens and its crop diminishes." Hmm. Read that again. "The vine's ability to produce growth increases each year, but without intensive pruning the plant weakens and its crop diminishes." And so our loving Heavenly Father prunes us. I tell you this as an affirmation. I remind you of this so you are not surprised when it comes. It is not our calling in Christ to live out our lives in selfish comfort; neither is it our calling to live in a state of defeat or discouragement. We are meant to bear fruit--the fruit of the Spirit. We, along with the first disciples of Christ, are given strength and purpose and vision for this life. As we grow in love and relationship with Christ we discover more of what he has for us and, rest assured, we are going to be pruned by the vine dresser. It's not for punishment, but so that we may have the dead and useless branches cleared away so the more important things for life can grow and flourish. We'll talk more about this in the days to come. In the meantime, muster up the courage to ask God to show you what branches He wants to prune in your life so that you may live more fully to His glory. It's all good, Greg