“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5, NLT
Luke, chapter eight, gives the account of a woman who’d been afflicted for twelve years with non-stop bleeding. In that day, she was considered “unclean”—someone nobody wanted to come in contact with. As such, she was likely an outcast, not connected in her community, and unable to find a cure for her bleeding. One day, while Jesus was passing through a town, she made her way through the crowd of people in an effort to get close enough to touch Him. She reached His clothing and touched the edge of His robe. Right then, she stopped bleeding. Jesus wanted to know who touched Him. Everyone around Him said they didn’t do it. The apostle Peter told Jesus the entire crowd was pressing on Him because so many people were there.
“But Jesus said, ‘Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.’ When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. ‘Daughter,’ he said to her, ‘your faith has made you well. Go in peace’” (Luke 8: 46-48, NLT).
This woman had been outwardly disconnected from healing for years. By touching Jesus she demonstrated her faith that He was the true source of the healing power that she needed. Jesus said He felt healing power go out from Him when she touched His robe. She was connected to him in her heart! Read today’s Dose verse.
God wants our lives to be like fruit-producing branches of a grapevine. This happens when we stay connected to Jesus (our vine), and let God (our gardener), prune our lives. It prompts growth and fruitfulness. God’s cultivating, weeding, and pruning within us results in godly character development, progress in our walk with Jesus, and an abundance of spiritual fruit. Remaining in Jesus means to stay connected to him (in all situations) in our hearts, through faith, just like the woman did. We must persist in keeping connected to Jesus, our power source for living godly, fruitful, and productive lives. Without Him, we become disconnected, and therefore, can’t do what He requires of us.
Are you a fruitful branch connected to the Vine today?
By grace through faith,
Rita
I ascended the stairs to the top of the platform. The instructor ran through the instructions one last time. Harness was properly fastened and stable; carabiners hooked and checked; helmet secure. I was ready to go. I leaped off the platform! Woooowheeeee! After all the waiting, I was not disappointed. It was my birthday present from my husband – two hours of ziplining!
What do you do when your world is rocked? You know, when something happens and everything, at least for the moment, changes and forces you to rearrange your life. Over the past few years, unforeseen incidents such as cancer, injuries from a car wreck, a retinal tear, and even brain surgery have shaken my husband and me to the very core of our being and sent us to our knees. . . often.