Dependence, God's Version!

Dependence, God's Version! 

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. John 15:2 NIV

The Context:

To fully understand today's extract, it is important to go back to the verse just before today's extract: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." This is a direct quote by Jesus as he taught his disciples toward the end of his earthly ministry. I note that in that first verse, the foundation of today's extract is laid. The question of identity is answered, the question of location and placement is answered and the question of expectation is also answered. Jesus makes it clear that his father is the full and final authority over all that he does. There is no accident or mistake about what Jesus came to do on earth; it was not an afterthought, but the product of God's eternal plan. Jesus could not have done all he did if his father didn't permit it. That is why all who will be like Jesus, living as he did and making the impact he made, must first know who they are and where they stand in God. It is only a man who knows who he is and what is expected of him that can properly put down his roots in God and depend on Him for daily nourishing. 

When I have found and met God, it has to be noted that because of the nature of the vine, my roots aren't in the ground, but tied to the vine. I don't get to play independence or superiority, but I am only relevant for as long as I am attached to the vine. The amazing thing about God is that all who come to him are able to start showing off the proof of their being attached to the vine, which is the fruit of his presence in their lives. This is one time when the concept of time does not apply to plants. The day I gave my life over to God, his life is birthed in me and all that is of him starts to flow in me. If I am truly founded in God, my life is bound to show off fruits that line up with my location. If men look at my life, are the fruits of my connection to God evident? 

The Message:

The picture is that of a vine which is connected and held up by a support system. Google defines a vine as a plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining or creeps along the ground. Is it not interesting that Jesus describes himself as not just any vine, but the true vine. Even he does not lay claim to independence from the Father, but to a true dependence on His father for help, support and nurture. If Jesus could be this dependent on his father, how can we who claim to be followers of Jesus make a claim to independence and self-sufficiency?

It is therefore not a suprise that today's extract warns about a sense of independence from the vine. I am yet to see a branch of any tree that lived on by itself after being cut off from the tree it was attached to. It is even made more complex when you consider that the branch being cut off was a part of the true vine at a time, yet for reasons that we must carefully consider, it lost the ability to bear fruit and became useless to the vine. The fruit of my location in the vine cannot be faked; it is either I have it or I don't. There is no middle ground of uncertainty here.

And the consequence for not being fruitful is quite severe: being cut off from the vine. Men can look at a man's life and applaud what they see but the husbandman who nurtures the vine knows that that life is not fruitful. Be careful about man's applause and nice words; run away from men who seek to mold you into an image of God; flee from men who will 'celebrate' you at the expense of the God to whom you are attached and who actually owns and supplies that which men can see in your life.

The Response:

Am I attached to the vine or am I making assumptions based on what I think or what people are saying? Think about it for a minute: how does a branch attached to Jesus stop bearing fruit? This is the reason why it is dangerous to depend on people's opinions for your walk with God. Sin creeps in, complacency sets in, the flesh seeks some glory, pride tiptoes in, and the hedge is being broken little by little. This attachment to the vine is not remain in place automatically, but it has to be nurtured and preserved as the most important decision of your life. 

The connection can be lost, and that is why today's extract carries both a word of warning as well as a word of encouragement: if I lose my place, it does not matter what anybody says. In fact, whether I am connected or not, it will not matter what man says, but what the husbandman says. He is the one whose view counts, and he cannot be deceived by platitudes and hypocrisy. For the husbandman to cut off the branch that does not bear fruit, he would have done all that is needed for the branch to thrive. The nourishing, weeding, watering and care required for fruiting is the job of the husbandman, and he knows how to do this and has been doing this since the creation of man. He will do all that is required, and then he will demand fruit. If I bear fruit, he won't leave me alone, but will still take me through processes that will bring even more fruit out of me.

I can't sit on the fence and just get by. There is no fence here. You are either bearing fruit or being prepared to be cut off. Pruning is the reward for fruitfulness while a cutting off is the reward for unfruitfulness. I can't get away with inactivity or passivity. At all times, a demand will be made on me in line with my pursuits and priorities. It is not enough for me to claim the connection; the connection must show in and through my life. If God were to take stock right here and how and decide what to do with me, what would he have to do: prune or purge? There is an eternal consequence attached to this question, and I owe it to my eternity to sort this out while there is time. His time of favour is here.