“He is the Vine, We are the Branches”
This week in our “It’s Like This” series, Pastor Phil lead us through the analogy Jesus gave of the vine and the branches in John 15. Jesus tells us, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Jesus is describing our usefulness. There are plenty of things we can accomplish in life, but if we set out to do things without being rooted in Christ, then those things do not have as much meaning. But when we seek God’s will and keep ourselves grounded in who Jesus is and what He wants for our lives, then the things we set out to do will flourish.
Verse 16 says, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit…” How comforting is it that God chose us individually to go out into the world and bear fruit in His name?
And just in case we were not completely sure of His motives, Jesus mentions this in verse 11: “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
