Tuesday Reading: John 15:1-8
Key Verse: John 15:4
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
Devotion:
One thing I am not is a good gardener; all plants that come my way probably build up a fear for me! Despite that I am able to grow a few things and not to kill every plant that I am given. I don’t know that the reason for my lack of horticultural skills is because everyone else in my family seems to be able to cope! I believe my skills lie not in the physical care of plants but in the spiritual care of others because that is what I enjoy most of all.
When Jesus described Himself as the True Vine it was no to do with anything about being a plant but rather the chain of nourishment that is required. I never did do much biology at school but do understand that plants need nourishment and that comes from the ground up through the trunk and gets distributed as required. Just as our bodies are able to distribute goodness around themselves after we consume food, so plants distribute the required nutrients after food is given to them via their roots. If those roots are removed or the trunk removed, the plant may well starve unless re-seated in the correct environment.
Christ is the environment in which we can thrive because it is through Him that we will gain everything that we require. If we cut Him out of our lives then we should expect nothing other than to wither and die. If we do not have Him in our lives then we will end up being like a tree that has lost its food source and turns to nothing but firewood. The speed at which a very dry tree will burn when placed in fire is quite remarkable with nothing but ash being left to show for a once grand element. If we want to grow and flourish then we do need Christ to be at the centre of our lives where we can then gain the most from Him and survive the harsh land that we live in.
Points to Ponder:
How are your gardening skills?
Are you depending on Christ?