Jesus tells us that He is “the true vine” from which we are to receive our nourishment. We need this nourishment to live a productive life that bears good fruit.
He goes onto say, that there are two types of branches. The first are those who only believe in Him for a while. They profess to believe when it’s convenient, or agreeable with them. These branches are not connected to the vine and are unfruitful. The fruit they do have withers away.
The other type of branch is one that does bear fruit. These are the type that are truly in Christ and have a relationship with Him. These good branches are pruned, which is needed for their growth and fruitfulness; just like the pruning & cutting of vines for a healthy vineyard.
Every branch being pruned should trust that the Gardener knows what he/she is doing and be grateful for their care and attention.
God’s love revealed in Jesus is perfected when we know and experience living in Him. This is done through an exercise of faith and love for Christ. The Disciples and followers held on to Him with all their heart. By doing this they gained life, grace and nourishment from Him. To have life in its fullness we must remain attached to the vine of life that is Jesus Christ. Apart from the nourishment that Jesus offers, the branches can do nothing.
To live a productive spiritual life we have to take in the nourishment for growth. This nourishment is found in the Word of God and Jesus Christ. He is the vine and His disciples are the branches. This expresses a unity with one another. The branches get their life, strength, purpose and fruitfulness through the power of the vine. The moment we invite Jesus into our lives, He gives us new life and new strength. When we ask for salvation, we become one with Christ.
When we get more of the nutrients into the branch there will be more fruit, a bigger harvest. God doesn’t want us to be content with a small crop of blessings. When there is no union with Him, or a weak union, there will be little fruit produced. When we remain with Him there will be “much fruit.”
It is human nature to want to get the most out of life and to do that we need to abide in our Lord and Savior. When we have an intimate relationship with Him like the vine & branches, great things will happen.
So the question is are you a fruitful branch or one that needs to be pruned? Having an intimate relationship with Jesus is not only something we all should do, it is something we must do to live up to the full potential of life and to reach the goal God has set for us to be more like His Son Jesus Christ.