I’m no expert on plants or gardening. However, this analogy is very interesting. It speaks of the vinegrower who, with the Father, is the True Vine, Jesus, and the branches, which are us.
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When I read this, I think of how proud God can be of his children.
This passage out of context sounds very attractive to those who are looking for a manual or steps to get God to do something they want or need.
Someone once gave me this Bible passage as a reference to tell me that I would be thrown into the fire for not abiding in Jesus.
Some people have a good sprinkler system, which is very practical, especially in this hot weather.
According to this analogy, Jesus is the vine, and we are branches of that vine, therefore the fruit is a product of the connection of the branch, so the branch by itself will only dry up and will not produce something that it has no connection to.
The branch of a vine must be pruned or cleaned to bear even more fruit.
Did you hear that? Go back and read that passage again and let it soak in. Drink it in like water for the spirit. Breathe it in like oxygen for the soul.
There’s an old joke, “Why are preachers like a pair of old tennis shoes? Because the last thing to wear out is the tongue.” That’s probably based on truth because I don’t know very many preachers who can’t come up with something to say about almost any passage of Scripture or nearly any topic. That may be one of the reasons God called us into ministry.
There are a lot of talents I possess. I can cook, write, preach, play guitar, clean house, drive, and a whole bunch of other things. But one of the talents I wasn’t born with an abundance of is patience. Waiting pushes my buttons, so I always bring a book. I had to learn patience.