“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”John 15:1
A lot of people seem to be on a clean eating kick lately. While I haven’t jumped in full-force, I would say that I have been trying to eat more “real” food and fewer processed foods. I have been trying to view food as a fuel for my body and while I still hope my food can be somewhat tasteful and pleasurable, I recognize that my body needs certain nutrients and food groups to run its best. When I feed my body junk, it usually feels like junk. When I focus on putting good, nutritious foods in my body, I feel better and more energized.
The same could be said of our faith. What are we feeding our souls? When I get busy, it can be easy to get into survival mode. I’m treading water to keep my head up and everything that seems non-essential falls to the wayside. Unfortunately, that often means I lose touch with Jesus. In these times of busyness and stress, it’s easy to feed my mind and soul a diet of “mindless” activities such as reality TV or gossip. And while I might survive these times without Jesus, my life isn’t as full, ripe, or delicious when I’m not connected with the True Vine.
I have never toured a vineyard, but it sounds like the vine is very important for the fruit or the branches. And in my mind, a vine is somewhat like the trunk of a tree, though maybe on a smaller scale. The vine or trunk is what gives life to the branches and supplies the fruit with what it needs to become healthy, strong, and delicious. We draw our nourishment and sustenance from our true vine, from Jesus. Just like the branches draw everything they need from the vine, so we too receive justification and grace through faith in Jesus. We receive rest for our souls and minds. Through Jesus and His promises, we receive reassurance and strength to face the days ahead. The True Vine provides what we need so we can display the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.
In this advent time, as we prepare to celebrate the coming of our Savior, let us draw nearer to the True Vine and in turn find ourselves bearing the Fruits of His Spirit.
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