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Reflecting on Faith
John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.
Without being connected to Jesus, we can't produce anything, just like He said. If the branch (us) isn't attached to the vine (Jesus), we aren't able to produce any fruit and will eventually die. Also, remember that He is our source of strength and we draw strength from the vine, Jesus. We can't survive without Him. Praise God!!
Orpah Holaquin
Sacramento, CA
In regards to John 15:5, I see it as everything we have and everything we are is only because of the grace of God. Everything is His, including us and the breath in our lungs. Our life is not our own, and it is in our best interest to recognize this and continually connect with our Maker to seek and accomplish His perfect will for each of us. It is not easy, especially for the reasons I just listed, that all need attention at the same time while we are in the world but not of it. Staying connected to God, His people, and His plan allows us the ability to tend to all He allows in our lives, especially when it honors Him.
Paula Hardwick
Vacaville, CA
John 15:5 The Vine is Christ's divine life, and as believers, we can be joined to Him by grace through faith. Christ is speaking to His disciples who have been following Him for three years; now He is addressing them the night before He is to be crucified, letting them know the conditions for a fruitful, effective life that is pleasing to God and a blessing to others. Remain faithful to His Word; see John 15:7. It's not learned behavior that will make for a supernatural life, but only by our dependency on His Holy Spirit flowing through us as He initiates.
Martha Dellapenta
San Francisco, CA
I've actually been trying to learn about grafting this last year; I have some beautiful Japanese maples I want to reproduce. For trees, it's the only way to create the exact imprint of the 'parent' tree (seeds won't, they will have different characteristics). For vines, it usually combines a hardy fruit with a disease-resistant root. I think you could look at John 15:5 as, apart from the main vine, you are not disease-resistant (while you may produce some fruit, you do not have the resistance to disease, sin) and must be attached to the exact imprint of truth, beauty, goodness, etc., to have what is necessary for life and to be truly changed to produce what is truly good.
Stephanie Perlman
Loveland, OH
Laura Knowlson
Marysville, WA
I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. This makes me think of 1 Corinthians 12. We are a part of the whole through the gifts He has given. Apart from God, we are not equipped to even come close to sharing who or what God is. Our knowledge in our faith is always growing; we will fall short unless we seek wisdom and counsel from God. I love a thought that I picture in my mind when I read John 15:5. The picture is more in-depth for me to grasp what’s being said. I see God as the root, Jesus is the vine; through a firm foundation and strong roots, God enabled the vine to stretch out to connect us to Him. The Great Commission has given us the opportunity to branch out from the foundation to share Him, thus being fruitful. A branch broken from its life source cannot produce fruit; it will die.