pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: branches


by Leave a comment

The Source of Life

Reading: Romans 11:17-23

Romans 11:18 – “If you do brag, be careful: it’s not you that sustains the root, but it’s the root that sustains you.”

Photo credit: Emma Gossett

Paul is writing to Gentile Christians. There was a great struggle in the early church around their place in the family of God. It was believed that the Messiah would first come to all Israel. Once the Jews accepted the Messiah, then the outside world would stream to Israel, coming to faith in the Christ. When most Jews rejected Jesus, alive and then resurrected, the church began to spread into the Gentile world.

In today’s text the branches broken off represent the Jews who rejected Jesus, choosing to not connect to the “root.” The branches grafted in are the Gentile Christians. Paul warns the believers in Rome not to brag about this role reversal. It can be tempting to feel superior or even to act arrogantly when you have supplanted the ones who were chosen first by God. This can happen when the outsiders become the insiders.

Paul seeks to counter this human tendency, writing, “If you do brag, be careful: it’s not you that sustains the root, but it’s the root that sustains you.” This reality check reminds the early church that Christ remains the source of life, his Spirit giving them the power to remain faithful. Paul warns that they too can be cut off if they get this relationship backwards. All of this remains true for us today. Therefore, through the kindness of God, may we daily walk humbly with Jesus, our source of life.

Prayer: Lord God, when we are tempted to feel special or to brag about our place in the family of God, remind us that faith is a gift. When we are tempted to judge those who have not yet chosen Jesus as Lord, remind us that we were once there too. With gratitude and joy, lead us to live faithfully and to witness generously, drawing others to the source of life. Amen.


by Leave a comment

All the Glory

Reading: John 15:5-8

John 15:8 – “My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.”

Today’s passage bridges last week’s question of heaven’s existence and this week’s wrestling with unanswered prayer. The two topics of doubt fund answers in Jesus’ teaching about being the true vine. This image is one also used throughout the Old Testament.

In verse 5 Jesus declares the connected relationship: “I am the vine; you are the branches.” If we remain in Jesus, then we will “produce much fruit.” The main fruit aligns with the great commission: making disciples of all nations. We also produce fruit and bring heaven to earth when we bring Christ’s love, hope, mercy, grace, peace, joy, forgiveness… to those in the world. Of this good life Jesus says, “My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.” When we remain in Christ we produce fruit in this world, we bring God much glory.

The converse is also true. When we allow ourselves to become disconnected from Jesus, we will then fail to produce fruit for the kingdom. In that broken relationship we cannot do any good work that glorifies God. And, in the end, we will be “gathered up, thrown into a fire,” where there will be, as Jesus often said elsewhere, weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In verse 7 we begin to lean into the outcomes of our prayers. Here too is a connection. Here Jesus tells us that if we “remain in me and my words remain in you,” then what we ask for will be done. Remaining connected to Christ keeps our heart and therefore our prayers aligned with God’s heart and with God’s will and way. Praying in this way will produce good fruit that glorifies God. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, our connection to you is so important, so vital. As we spend time each day in prayer and study, our connection strengthens. Then, as we go out into life and into the world, your words, your Spirit, your will and way go with us, guiding us. May this connection empower us to produce fruit as we strive to build your kingdom of heaven here on earth, bringing you all the glory. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Be Encouraged!

Reading: John 15 and 16

John 15:19 – “I have chosen you out of the world, and you don’t belong to the world. This is why the world hates you.”

“I am the vine; you are the branches.” We live in connection with Jesus. Without this connection we cannot produce fruit. Without connection we are trimmed and thrown into the fire. With connection we are nourished and fed and are able to produce much fruit, doing acts of love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, generosity… – actions that grow the kingdom and make new disciples.

These actions are guided by the new commandment: “Love each other just as I have loved you.” Chosen by Jesus, filled with his Spirit, we are promised whatever we ask in his name. Yet following is not easy. There is a cost. In 15:19 Jesus says, “I have chosen you out of the world, and you don’t belong to the world. This is why the world hates you.” Because we are not of this world, we will be harassed, abused, persecuted. But we are not alone.

The Companion or Holy Spirit comes to us and speaks truth unto our hearts. It reminds us that we belong to God. These things empower us to speak words of truth to the world. Jesus promises that the Spirit will “take what is mine and proclaim it to you.” When the world harasses… the Spirit will strengthen and encourage us. This process will bring us joy.

The Spirit will come because Jesus is leaving. One’s physical presence will be replaced by the all-present Spirit. Yes, a time of desertion will come when the world strikes the shepherd and the sheep scatter. We too have times when we wander. So we too need to hear verse 33: “In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.” Because this is so, we too can conquer all things. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, empower us to remain in you. By the power of the Holy Spirit, defend and protect us from the lures and temptations of the world. With that same power, send us out into the world to share your love, building the kingdom, bearing much fruit. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Connection

Reading: Jeremiah 17: 7-8 and Psalm 1: 1-3

Verse 7: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, he will be like a tree planted by the water”.

In both Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 we read about being connected to God. It is a connection that helps us avoid those who are wicked and who are sinners. It is a connection that lessens our fears and worries. In Jeremiah 17:7 we read of the benefits of staying connected to God: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, he will be like a tree planted by the water”.

The psalmist identifies the connection point. When we delight in the law and when we meditate on it, we are blessed. When we read our Bibles and when we meditate on what we read – seeking understanding and application for our lives – then we are blessed. For the psalmist, this is the source that is like water to the roots of a tree. Water is essential for life. It nourishes the tree. In time, the tree produces fruit. Its leaves do not wither, it prospers. So it is with us when we sink our roots down into the Word, delving into our Bibles, soaking up God’s word.

Jeremiah also speaks of blessing when we are connected to God. When ‘heat’ comes we do not fear and when hard times come we do not worry. If our roots are connected to God, then we can rest in God’s presence and peace. The things of this world do not consume us. In those times when life ramps up and we feel the heat, we can turn to God for assurance and refuge. When we face difficult situations, instead of worrying, we can turn to God and place our lives in His hands, trusting in His love.

This metaphor is also picked up in the New Testament. Just yesterday I shared a message from John 15. In the first five verses, Jesus speaks of the vine and the branches. Jesus emphasizes our absolute need for connection too. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. And just as Jeremiah and the psalmist speak of bearing fruit, so too does Jesus. In verse 4 Jesus shares the key to bearing fruit: “remain in me and I will remain in you”. We do this by spending time in our Bibles and by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In these ways we remain connected to the true vine – Jesus Christ.

As followers of Jesus, our commission is to make disciples. By sharing the good news of Jesus and by telling the story of what He has done in our lives we help others to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. As others come to know and accept Jesus as Lord, our lives are bearing fruit. In John 15, Jesus tells us that when we remain connected to Him we will bear much fruit.

This day and every day may we connect to our Bibles, drinking deeply from the connection that we find in Jesus. May this be the source of life that we share with the world!

Prayer: God of all creation, help me to know you more intimately today. Strengthen my connection with you, build up our relationship. Fill me with you so that all I do and say brings you glory. Amen.