“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.….. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can nothing.” (John 15:1-5 NIV)

If you remain connected to Me, you will thrive. Abundant life comes from being connected to Me: My life, My vitality will flow from Me to you.

Breaks in connection with Me disrupt that flow of life. It’s like the flow of living waters which can be stopped or slowed to a trickle by the enemy lies that you believe, or by unforgiveness or distraction. So also, with the flow of abundant life from Me to you.

The connection can be broken by the lack of obedience to My word, by connecting yourself to worldly things more than with Me. You try to be connected with two different vines. Where you focus your gaze is where your sustenance comes from, so if it’s from the vine of the world, you will begin to shrivel, as there is no lasting joy in the ways of the world. Being only occasionally or loosely connected to Me will also bring a shrivelling, a dying of the flame of life that you have when connected to Me.

You must cut the connection, the spiritual connection, of worship of the world’s ways. Yes, you live in this world and are connected physically and emotionally to places and people. I use all of that, and love that you love My creation; and love the people that I have placed in your world and your care. But remember, you are in the world not of it, for you are a new creation (see 2 Cor 5:17 NKJV)

Jesus prayed “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (John 17:15-18 NKJV)

So, beware connections that grow you more towards the things of this world than grow you towards Me. As you focus on Me, fixing your eyes on Me, the author and finisher of your faith, your connection to Me, the True Vine, remains strong and secure.

If I am the true Vine, then all others are false.

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17 NLT).

Marian Dyer,
May 8, 2024