In the day in which we live the word connected usually is referring to an electronic device. The internet is almost everywhere and phones, tablets, and computers are carried everywhere we go. If you come to an area where there is no internet it sends most people into a frenzy because their source of connection to the world is gone. When the internet crashes the economic status of a company or nation can come tumbling down. People place so much emphasis on staying connected that most keep their phones on their bodies. It is never more than an arm’s length away from them. They are serious about staying connected to the world. While this may make some feel secure because they are always able to reach family or work, this connection is only as good as the server that they use. However, if you are a Christian there is a connection that is mandatory for you to remain in Christ and be fruitful. This connection is the Vine in John 15:1-8. This connection is available to all and you are never out of its service area. It doesn’t matter how far you go in the world, it is available at full strength. Yet, everyone doesn’t have this connection. So, I ask, are you connected to the true vine, this ultimate source of power?
In John 15:1, Jesus declares himself to be the true vine. He is not counterfeit; He is the only one! He had already told them in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to the Father except they come through Him. His Father is the husbandman, the caretaker or vinedresser of the vine. For a vine to produce good fruit it must be pruned, watered, and fertilized. Sometimes you can prune, water, and fertilize and a vine still does not produce fruit, much less good fruit. When this happens, the one taking care of the vine cuts away the part that refuses to produce and be profitable, He then has no choice but to throw the unprofitable vine in the fire.
John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
If a vine is not connected it cannot produce fruit. If we are not connected to Christ we cannot bear fruit. We are to abide in Him. How do we stay connected so that we are profitable fruit bearers? We study His word. We should want to know Jesus more than any other relationship we have. He is our life source, the one who keeps us connected to the Father. His word fertilizes our hearts with truth. It challenges us to grow and win others to Him. It does the work in our hearts that causes the branches to remain healthy and productive. This is how God instructs us in righteousness, through His word.
John 15:4-6 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
The other connection that is vital is prayer. It is through our talking to God that we can make our petitions made known to Him. I know that He already knows what we will ask, but just like we want our children to talk to us, God wants us to talk to Him. In verse 7 we are to abide. The Greek word for abide means to stay. There is to be no wavering, no in and out, but a constant connection that doesn’t change. When this occurs, there will be a glorification of the Father as we will bear much fruit. Bearing much fruit is a direct result of staying connected to the source of life. This is evidence to all around us that we are His disciples.
John 15:7-8 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so, shall ye be my disciples.”
There may be things in your life that have caused you to be like the one whose cell phone is pinging off of different towers. You are not connected to the main line of power, but you’re trying to live off of other sources. It may be the worship music that causes you to get emotional or the act of helping someone in need that makes you feel connected for the moment, but the feeling doesn’t last. Music can be powerful in stirring our emotions, but it cannot sustain our life in Christ. It should be used to challenge us to run back to the source of our connection. Good deeds are helpful to challenge our hearts, and they are acts of obedience. However, they are of no value eternally if they don’t remind us of what Jesus did for us and cause us to cry out to him in repentance and gratitude. There are several things that can interfere with our connection, but the basis of them all is sin. When we have sin in our hearts God will not hear us until we are ready to repent. Psalms 66:18 teaches us that if we have failed to search our hearts and been willing to forsake anything that is displeasing to the Lord he will not hear us. Don’t be like the Israelites in Isaiah 29:13. They said one thing, but their hearts were not changed.
Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”
Isaiah 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men”
If you don’t feel connected, or if your source is not strong enough to hear God clearly, then you are not connected to the main line. If there is sin in your life, it’s like having static on a phone line. You can’t hear God and He won’t hear you. It is time we all check our connection and make sure it is the best it can be. If we draw close to Him, He will come close to us, but as James 4:8 teaches us we must first cleanse our hearts and minds from sin.
James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
eXCELLENT