Tag Archive for Christ the true vine

Prune Me

John 15:1-8; 1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23

Father,
Creator,
Source of all that is good,
all life and fruitfulness flow
from You
through Jesus Christ.
He is the Vine, and
I am a branch in Him.
All that is
good and
beautiful and
life-giving,
all that is You in me,
flows through my connection with Him.

Prune me, Lord.
Clean away all that fruitlessly drains Your life-giving sap.
Cut off all that hinders the flow of the Spirit between
Christ and
me.
Remove all that clutters my
mind,
heart, and
life
without connecting me closer to Him.
Strip away
all that is not love,
all that is not Christ.

O merciful, all-wise, all-loving Lord,
prune me
that more of You
might flow freely
through me.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Life in the Vine
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

The True Vine

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read John 15:1-8

God had carefully, lovingly tended His vineyard, Israel, for centuries, but it only yielded bad fruit. So He tore down all protection for His vineyard and let it be plundered.

But He promised that later, His vineyard would again be fruitful, protected, and blessed, and its fruit would fill the whole earth.

What would make the difference? What could make a hopelessly unfruitful vineyard now fruitful beyond all expectations?

For the answer, read John 15:1-8. God’s fruitful vine is no longer a human nation, but Jesus Christ. We His people are now branches in that vine.

Israel had been called to be God’s light to the nations, His servant to bring redemption to all peoples (Isaiah 44:1-2), and His fruitful vine (Isaiah 5:1-7). When it seemed that they had failed, Jesus Christ, growing from Israel, fulfilled all God’s purposes for His people.

  • He is now the Light of the World (Isaiah 49:6; John 8:12), and He lights the world through His people (Matthew 5:14).
  • He is God’s servant to bring redemption to all who will trust in Him (Isaiah 42:1; John 3:16). He sends us, His servants, to carry on His work (John 20:21).
  • He is the Father’s fruitful vine, and we are His branches as we live in the vine (John 15:1-8).

Do you remember Jesus’ very first miracle? He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). This was a close-up, personal version of a miracle our Creator does every day in every vineyard: He turns water into wine.

Our Creator does this miracle every day in and through His people as well. He turns ordinary human living into rich, flavorful, fruitful living as they abide in the vine – as they trust in Jesus Christ.