Jesus said, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener… Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me” John15:1-4

What does it mean to be an ornamental grapevine? It means that one has had all the life bred out of it. One is merely decorative. No birds to feast upon its ripe fruit. It is stately, a pretty adornment, but little more. Little to no maintenance is needed to maintain its respectful pose, but there is no life. Yes, the messiness of dropping grapes, the sour smell of rotten fruit, and the nasty poo of those pesky birds all averted. But, something more important and precious is also lost.

Jesus made a promise of bearing fruit, just looking good is not enough. Imagine a bowl of juicy ripe- looking fruit. Oops, it is made of wax. How disappointing. So the poser vine is the same way. It looks beautiful but it has no fruit- see that comes from living in a world of messy birds which poach, steal, and peck at one’s soul. It requires wrestling, struggle, transparency, vulnerability, and confrontation . To be real.

Here is a down-to-earth example- one that I understand from over twenty years of teaching in a variety of educational settings: you see a twenty-veteran teacher and you think:  Ah, I will benefit from the accumulated wisdom and life experience that this sage one possesses. Then, one day you enter this person’s classroom to find that the quiet and order you believed were the skills of a well-managed environment, were merely a result of a no-contest fight with the students; you discover the students are asleep, heads atop desks; others are making out; the rest are blissfully comforted by social media. So much for the lesson. 

This teacher has decided not to enter the fray. The teacher remains unaffected by life. The teacher remains stoic in the midst of the pain and misery and burdens of his charges. No attempt to discipline, mentor, redirect, or challenge is discharged. This disaffected teacher is content to poise and appear engaged- all the while dead. There is no grasping and pulling firebrands from the pit of hell where they are tumbling; no vicious tears and cries of desperation escape his lips in intercession.

But by remaining outside the fight, no growth can happen. No pruning can be done, for there is nothing to prune. One only prunes a vine to bear more fruit, and this one is bearing no fruit.  It matters not where this vine is planted: concrete, sand, or moist soil, it will produce no fruit. It will command no harvest. So, today, I must ask myself which do I prefer: to merely look beautiful or to be effective.

Blessed is the teacher who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.  That one will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. That one does not fear when heat comes; that one’s leaves are always green. That one has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7)

Confession: My delight is in God’s word and upon it I meditate constantly. I trust and have confidence in God. Therefore, I do not fear hardship. I am resilient, during troubles, storms, and calamities. I continue to bear fruit that remains and yield the fruit of the Holy Spirit (i.e., peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and longsuffering- Galatians 5:22-23)

 I am planted in the moist soil system of a praying group of family, friends, ministry partners, and a stable church family to help me remain balanced and sold as my roots  gather life from the river of life which provides joy and peace in God’s presence.

Bearing Fruit,
MJ