Fruit-Bearing (part 2)
When I began to grow grapevines, one of the hardest things to do was to prune them.
I understood that pruning was necessary if I wanted grapes and not just vines, but apart from that, I had no idea what I was doing. It was heart-rending to remove so much when they had worked so hard and produced so much foliage. They were huge, growing up the twelve-foot south-facing wall all the way to the roof and spreading out at least ten feet. I had transplanted them there so they could shade the bedroom windows from the brutal desert sun, as well as feed us.
I read and re-read the instructions, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years, but it is still with some “fear and trembling” that I bring out the pruning shears each January to remove 90 percent of the plant. Each year I come away from the process more in awe of the Master Gardener. He prunes us so we can bear more fruit. He always knows what He’s doing, and why. He is never baffled about which cane with how many nodes He should keep. He is never confused about whether to cane-prune or spur-prune. (One of my vines still has me guessing how to bring out the best in it!)
One thing is sure, however, and that is that once I cut the branch from the vine, the branch is done. Dead. Kaput! Every year, the same thing happens: I remove the branches from the vine and they stay dead. I can curl them into a wreath to decorate with; I can fashion teepee-style frames for peas and pole beans to climb; I can cut them into kindling-size pieces for firewood, but they will not bear fruit again.
Jesus says if we want to be fruitful, we have to stick around, not just nearby, but attached to, in continuous contact with Him. The picture is of dependence: being separate means no fruit. His word is: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” It is how He lived during His time on the planet. He Himself said, “The Son can do nothing by himself.” (John 5:19) By this was telling us that He lived His human life as we must: inseparably from the Source of Life!
How can I expect myself to do other than what Jesus did?
So I am
Following Jesus every day in the everyday,
Christi
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