Grafted in the Vine

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered.” John 15:5-6

This morning I learned about the most fascinating process called grafting. At the base of every leaf there is a bud. This tiny bud has within it’s outer covering ‘memories’ of last year’s fruit and future sweetness for the fruit to be produced for the following year. It holds within itself the quality of what it is come. The vine-dresser cuts out the bud to graft it into the non-bearing part of a root-stock. A small slice is made in that area, creating a ‘wound.’ The tiny bud is placed within the wound and a bonding substance is wrapped around the bud leaving the top of it peeking out. The binder prevents the sap, also called the blood, from leaking out and losing its life source. From that small grafted bud, a new branch will grow. In essence, since the bud is grafted into the vine that is where it abides receiving it's life source. 

What a beautiful analogy for our lives once we are cut away from the world and grafted into the true Vine for spiritual growth and future fruitfulness. Just like the root-stock, Jesus was ‘wounded’ and by His sacrifice He created a place for us in which to be grafted in Him. We are all bound by the blood of the cross, and through our abiding in Him we are created to branch out and bear fruit. When we abide in Him, we carry within us memories of the past faithfulness and promises of future fruitfulness just like the small bud carries. Through our abiding in Him, we are transformed from ‘glory to glory’…from experience to experience…from tests to testimonies. Each experience ushers in a greater understanding of the embodiment of Christ. That understanding is cumulative and progressive, building on past revelations and providing the sweetness of future revelations.  We carry within us the quality of Christ.  The more we abide in Him the stronger our branches will grow and the sweeter our fruitfulness will be.

“And we all…are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Co 3:16-18

Embracing the Race

“When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it I my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.’” John 21:21-22

Poor Peter! He always seemed to take one step forward and three steps back even though he absolutely adored Jesus. Jesus had just reinstated Peter by asking Him three times to ‘feed His sheep’, the same number of times that Peter had denied Him. Things were back on track between them until Jesus suggested that Peter would be martyred as a result of His call. Peter’s response to Jesus can still be heard across the centuries rolling off our own lips…‘What about him ... her ...them?’

Peter was not the first person to compare himself to others, understanding that his painful circumstances were inevitable, and he wouldn’t be the last. I can remember specifically questioning God when my child was living in darkness. There was someone in my life who had never taken their children to church and hadn’t had much to do with God. Her children thrived in everything they did, and the contrast couldn’t be more drastic…‘Lord, what about her?’ Even when my loved ones were walking through cancer, I could look around and hear the wonderful news of others being cured despite our lack of healing…‘What about them?’ What do we do with the reality that God calls different hardships for different people according to His plan?

I believe that the answer is beautifully found in Hebrews 12:1-2. We consider all the past Christians who have inspired us by their faith and courage in heartbreaking circumstances. We glean from them the gems that they mined and the testimony that they shared. We lay aside fear, doubt and despair because they’re counterproductive and burdensome. We stay in our lane and avoid any temptation that could detour us to sin. And most importantly, we embrace the race that God has given us instead of coveting the race of another. And then…we run! And we run harder and we run faster, never losing sight of the race Jesus won for us.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12:1-2

The Crashing Tide

"And God knew." Exodus 2:25

When my sister Beth was a little girl she had a battle cry that used to always drive me crazy because I had no response to it. When she felt she was being unjustly accused of something, she would yell, 'God knows!' We still occasionally say those words to each other laughing about her proclamations. She knew as a child what we need to know as adults.

I don’t know about you, but this short verse with three words crashes over me like a tidal wave, but a good tidal wave. Every single detail of each day lived out is known fully by God, patiently allowed by God and meticulously orchestrated by God. Even sin and sickness are used by God in the divine plan for us all to receive His best for our lives. In the past, when life interrupted my peace with circumstances outside my control, I wish I would have considered this tiny phrase with enormous truth…and God knew. He knew Bruce and I would fall in love, and walk out a life of ebbs and flows, heartbreaks and celebrations.  He knew exactly how many days our child would walk in darkness before He snatched her out of that life. He knew how He was going to provide when we were in an employment drought.   He knew every single day that my dad and sister would walk on the ground of this earth.  He knew as Mother said goodbye to Daddy, that eight years later Ben would say ‘I do’ to Mother. ‘And God knew.’

What are you facing this morning? What outcome has not yet been revealed? I would guess that many of us can be comforted by these words today. God knows when that job is coming…God knows the outcome of that test…God knows what has been done to you…God knows the day your prayer will be answered…God knows how that relationship will be reconciled…God knows the day you will find love...And God knows the day we will be called home. What better words can be spoken over us as we walk out our days on this earth? Not only does He know all things, but He has a heart to share them with us in His time. God knows that when He transplants us into new pastures, we grow in Him. He knows the fruit we will display as a result of the faith taking deeper roots for greater testimonies. ‘Transplanting, like growing, takes time. Time to get used to new soil, new rain patterns, new climate…When we’re transplanted, we know that the master Gardener has put us in our new place for a purpose. He understands the conditions we’ve experienced before and the new ones we’re facing now.’ Chasing Vines Bible Study, Beth Moore, p. 16.

Whatever war might be raging in your mind creating anxiety, fear or concern take comfort in the words, ‘And God knew.’

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

“Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.” Psalm 77:19

I am not sure if I have ever read this verse before but this morning, I consider some of the hidden gems to be mined from this statement from the psalmist to God. He recounts through words and probably song the story of when the Israelite's were pinned between the approaching Egyptians and the expansive sea. Two gems I mined were considerations of alternatives to this scene. It never really dawned on me that the miracle God could have performed was to exterminate the army…confuse their direction…hide the Israelite's from their sight until they retreated. But instead God allowed the pursuit and threat of death to go right up to the edge of despair. This group of God’s chosen people found themselves ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea.’ I can’t imagine the scene of feeling the breath of death on your back while facing the challenging journey up ahead through the great waters! But as our verse this morning states, God’s way…His will…was through the sea…was walking into the great waters.

The second consideration was that someone had to be the first person once the waters parted to put toe to seabed trusting that the waters would remain stacked in place. What if that person turned to the others and stated the path was uncertain? What if he chose fear instead of faith, unbelief instead of certainty? Fear and doubt could have ravished the group and paralyzed their walk. But he didn’t and prompted one of the most courageous steps of faith recorded in the Bible. All those behind him followed, fled and were delivered from their enemies.

I know that God calls us all to the water’s edge at different points in our lives. If you feel the breath of your circumstances behind you closing in, take comfort that God has gone before you and provided a path for you through the great waters. Even when we cannot see His footprints, we can be certain that where there is a will…His will…there is a way!

At This Moment

“My Father is the gardener.” John 15:1

Ask any gardener about the importance of dirt and their answer would be much different than mine. Bruce and I live in the middle of some acreage with plenty of trees and dirt surrounding our home. It is nothing unusual for us to be picking up little dirt clumps that we have tracked in. What a gardener would see as a necessary element, I waste no time grabbing the broom and discarding it or tossing it in the trashcan. What the gardener sees as a welcome guest to his garden I view as an intruder in my home.

Many times, God plants us right in the middle of a new season of challenges. We view it as an interruption…an intrusion…something we wish we could sweep out of our lives. We forget that God loves watching things grow, and desires for us to know Him intimately and grow in our relationship with Him. Any new planting of the Lord will display future blooms resulting in delectable fruit. We are not left alone in this divine endeavor. ‘The gardener is someone who tends. One who sees. One who plans – and plants. In life, so many unexplainable things happen that can make a person feel like everything is one enormous accident. Nothing about our existence is accidental. We were known before we knew we were alive. We were planned and planted for this moment in time.’ Chasing Vines Bible Study, Beth Moore, p. 5.

In what garden has God planted you for this moment in time? What has been tracked into your life that you wish could be swept away? It is all about the perspective of the dirt. What we see as an intrusion in our lives, God sees as an initiator of fellowship. What we see as death, God sees as life. Some of the things we continue to breathe life into, God desires its death. God’s economy always seems a bit upside-down to me, but that is the way of the gardens He establishes for us. Here is a fact on which we can all rely:

‘If God plants you, He will tend you. He knows exactly how much sun, water, and fertilizer each plant needs. And He knows how to make the plants in His garden thrive. Gardening takes time. Flowers don’t bloom immediately…fruit takes a while to form…and the gardener must put forth patient effort to help His plants to thrive. Why? Because God likes watching things grow.’ p. 7

Embracing the Trellis

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1

When I was a little girl watching Daddy in his garden, I can remember him driving stakes in the ground to attach the tomato plants once they began bending downward from it's weight. Every 4-5 inches there would be a strip of white sheet tying the plant securely to the piece of wood. I can still see those big, juicy ripe tomatoes snuggled tightly to the stake, with the white strip gently waving in the breeze as if the tomatoes were wearing an ascot. This morning I was intrigued to consider the spiritual metaphor of the importance of a trellis in a vineyard. It is the same concept as stakes in the garden, in that an apparatus is required to train the vines the way they should grow and provide support from the heaviness of its existence. ‘The vinedresser establishes a training system for his vine…Stroll through the rows of any functioning vineyard, and you’ll notice that the posture of a grapevine is a direct reflection of the apparatus it’s attached to. Simply put, the way it’s trained is the way it will grow…the growing vine needs adequate support.’ Chasing Vines, Beth Moore, p. 163.

I began examining the posture in which I have walked through life. During some seasons my head hung as low as the weighty tomato plant. Other seasons when I was more attached to God, I thrived much better when the storms of life arrived. Is our posture attached to the apparatus of the cross or the world? Are we a direct reflection of Whom we are attached? The reality is we will either reflect Christ or reflect the world. If we allow the world to be our teacher we will bend towards materialism, pride and self-focus. But if we allow Christ to be the person to whom we are attached we will be tied firmly to love, peace, mercy, grace and forgiveness. ‘If the vinedresser doesn’t take over, the branches will. And if the branches take over, the vine’s productivity suffer…and the delectable taste of the fruit goes untapped.’ p. 164.  I certainly do not have any desire to allow the branches of this world to entangle my growth in Christ.  But I know how easy it is for me to bend towards the flesh so I'm grateful to have the trellis to keep me on the training path. 

It is our Father’s pleasure and desire for each of His children to bear great and lasting fruit. Christ understood that everything He was meant to be could only be accomplished if He as the ‘branch of David’ remained securely connected to the ultimate Vinedresser. We too are each being trained by the apparatus that grows us into living the most productive and fruit-bearing life. We cannot despise the trellis that God erects in challenging seasons…He alone sees our future fruit at its ripest.

Poised for Fruitfulness

“He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” John 15:2

Years ago, I planted a few rose bushes in hopes of having roses at my fingertips any time I wanted them.  At first, their growth was fast and furious and flowers in different vases were part of my decorations.  But when the cold months would arrive, I would barely even think of those plants.  I would hope they would return when the sun shown itself brighter and warmer in the spring.  It was rare that I cut back any branch that looked as if small leaves were beginning to appear.  It made no sense that I would cut back something that looked as if new growth was beginning.  Welcome to God’s principle on pruning the branches of our lives and cutting back areas that could have greater growth with a little snip here and there.  What is He after?  He is positioning us to produce even more fruitfulness than where we are at the moment.  Make no mistake…I am very aware of the seasons when God has cut off portions of a branch that was bearing a little fruit in hopes of greater fruit in the future.

“Pruning season occurs primarily during the winter months…The vine dresser typically pulls out his shears just before bud break…The branch is very much alive and never more poised for fruitfulness than in the wake of winter.  We know how the grapevine feels…You can taste the breakthrough…But just before it comes to fruition – faith made sight – your breakthrough ends up looking suspiciously more like a breakdown.” Chasing Vines, Beth Moore, p. 148-149.  We’ve all been there when we think that we are on the cusp of receiving our desire, and suddenly we are cut off from it.  It is dizzying at best, devastating at worst.  What do we do with these seasons?  How do we trust our lives in the hands of a God who moves in unsettling ways we are not expecting?  We pray with every bit of strength in our heart.  We listen with ears that have never required such attention.  We believe every promise that we read in His word.  And then we do the same thing that branches on my rose bush had to do…we wait.  We wait for God to bring forth new buds after we have been cut back.  We expect to produce much greater fruit than before.  ‘What you must trust in these moments is that anything God breaks down is intended to build you up.  Anything He cuts off is to give breathing space to what He’s adding on.  Sometimes it’s too soon to come to full bloom…God is never closer to us than during the pruning process.  He can’t avoid holding a branch when He’s pinching off blooms.’ p. 149.

Little Bits of Light

“The LORD said to Samuel, ‘Fill your horn with oil, and go…’ And Samuel said, ‘How can I go?’ And the LORD said, ‘I will show you what you shall do.’” 1 Samuel 16:1-3.

This time last year we were getting ready to put our home at Folly up for sale.  We had been prayerful about this decision for the last year we owned it.  God was slowly taking it out of our hearts and urging us to return to our home in NC for good.  We could sense that God was getting ready to move us full-time to Charlotte, but He had not given us the ‘when.’  One morning Bruce determined that God had spoken to him, and the time was upon us.  When Bruce told me I had complete peace in my heart to move forward.  Within 12 weeks after we listed our home, I was following Bruce to Charlotte as he drove the moving truck.  We have never looked back and I still sit amazed that the God who created all that we see and experience spoke not only His will to us but the logistics of when and how!  Just like God’s incomplete instructions to Samuel, sometimes He only gives us a tiny glimpse of the picture.  ‘Go…’  One small little word that can take every bit of courage we can muster when dealing with our circumstances.

‘Go’ to the doctor… ‘Go’ to this town… ‘Go’ to that church… ‘Go’ to a mission field… ‘Go’ and forgive…the list goes on and on.  How many times do we respond as Samuel, ‘How can I go?’ Samuel understood that there seemed to be some holes in God’s plan, but despite the lack of vision he headed out and fully walked in what God was commanding.  ‘During so much of our walk with God, we feel blindfolded.  Certain seasons are poked with such random acts that we decide its all helter-skelter...From the very beginning, God geared the faith walk to be relational, not informational…We want to leap with God; He wants to walk with us.  Walking transpires step by step.  It demands patience.  Pacing.  God’s directional leading for our personal lives often unfurls in bits of light between shadows.’ Chasing Vines, Beth Moore, p. 139.

I don’t know about you, but I get impatient dealing with ‘bits of light between shadows.’  I love having a plan and I love considering the details of each plan!  But God loves fellowship over planning…God loves spontaneity over expectations…God loves watching us GO when only He knows where!  It takes courage for us to walk blindfolded with only God knowing where He is leading us.  He has given us His word to guide us with little bits of light as we walk out His perfect plan.   All He requires of us is the courage to move!

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

Walking Across Gravel

“All grapes have an affection for… stony soils. Making the vines struggle generally results in better quality grapes. The grape plant reproduces when she gets concerned that her survival is at risk.” Chasing Vines, Beth Moore, p. 105-106.

When I was a little girl, I was (and still am) your typical bare-foot daughter of the South. Upon spring's arrival, I would hobble across graveled areas without even considering shoes. Those first barefoot weeks would be extremely uncomfortable with the sensitivity of my feet. But over the season, my feet would toughen up from walking across rocks. By the end of the summer I could run across them without pain.

I was shocked this morning to learn that vines that produce the best grapes are found in vineyards rooted in rocky soil. I had always imagined that the richer and smoother the soil, the better the grapes and the healthier the vine. Apparently, for the vine to thrive it needs the same thing that you and I need to thrive and grow to produce our greatest fruit…rocky soil…those challenging seasons that make us 'hobble across gravel' and work harder to find our Source of comfort. Those times when our faith is stretched so thin, we are certain that we will never get to the other side.

Some seasons can feel as if the very roots you planted are being ripped out from under you. You yearn for the days of sunny skies beaming down on your life, and fruitful blessings hanging low and reachable on the vine. The stones that you must carry are so heavy that the spiritual muscles give out. You dream of the sunny days when your walk won't be so painful. But in all seasons, the Vine dresser never quits tending to our vineyard. He uses every rock whether it is a pebble or a boulder to work towards future spiritual growth. ‘He keeps shaping and reshaping us from glory to glory, and when living becomes the death of us, He leans over our clay bodies and breathes fresh life into our lungs…He knows the end from the beginning…We are arrows in His hand, and He knows where to land us. He knows precisely what He wants to accomplish in us. With Him, nothing has a haphazard end, no matter how chaotic the means may seem.’ pp. 103-114.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the keeper of the vineyard.  He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful." John 15:5.

God's Aspect

“The land that you are entering to take possession of…the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys…a land that the LORD your God cares for.” De 11:10-12

As I continue to ‘chase vines’ in my Bible Study I learned a new word regarding vineyards. ‘The word aspect as it relates to vineyards is a combination of two factors: the direction it faces and the degree it slopes. An aspect that faces the sun can be a remarkable boon to a vineyard in the cold climate…The more drastic the incline, the greater the risk of excessive soil erosion.’ Chasing Vines, Beth Moore, p. 91. God has planted each and every one of us with His aspect in perfect alignment. He has positioned us in the most beneficial direction that faces Him…that hears the songs of His love…that feels the warmth of His touch. He sends circumstances into our lives that slope the perfect degree that leans us towards Him. When we get out of the alignment of our aspect our faces no longer turn to the Son, and our spiritual foundation can begin to erode. Location and incline are paramount in our faith, and essential to our position in Christ.

I love that our passage promises that whatever change flows into our lives is land that God has chosen for us. It is a new season…a new location…a new aspect that will flow with rich blessings when we embrace the ups and downs of life. I love that the places He selects for us will always come with His promise to care for the land with us. I love that not one place we plant our feet has not already been traversed by God’s. He is up ahead of us, ensuring the location is perfect. He is walking beside us holding our hand as the slope gets steeper. We might not know the plan in front of us, but we know for sure the God who is with us.

‘You, too, have been intentionally planted. You didn’t land here by accident. The direction you face, the way your life slopes – none of it came about by happenstance…But the slopes are overlaid with tremendous purpose. God uses them to tilt us toward the light, to drain the sludge from our hearts with spring rains, and to offer us view of the landscape that will one day turn into vision.’ p. 99.

Tending to our Vineyards

“My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and he looked for it to yield grapes. But it yielded wild grapes.” Isaiah 5:2

Many years ago, Bruce and I visited a winery on a chilly but beautiful day. Its building was anything but impressive, but we assumed that its vineyards would be its glory. After much talk with the owner about the vineyard’s history, she took us through the gift shop. She offered a tour of the grounds and as we approached the downstairs exit out to the covered area, a pungent odor knocked us over. It was overwhelming and made me nauseous. The owner apologized and explained that they also make vinegar which uses a process from grapes as they sour. I don’t remember much from that day except for the overwhelming pungent smell of souring grapes.

“In the passage [above], the meaning of the word translated ‘wild’ carries wider connotations than being untamable. It can also mean sour, bitter, unripe, worthless, or even rotten. But the most insulting interpretation of all is ‘stinking’…Only one thing is worse than producing no fruit; producing bad fruit.” Chasing Vines, Beth Moore, p. 63, 71. God has given us all fertile land where we are to bear much fruit…fruit that points to God…fruit that drips with Christ…fruit that displays the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) This morning I had to consider the author’s question as it relates to my vineyard. ‘Is what I’m doing bearing good fruit?’ I know that like the winery we visited, I have areas where I am making vinegar. In the past, I have dug and cleared out my own will for my life planting material things looking for the yield of satisfaction which never came. Eventually, I invited the Gardener into my vineyard allowing Him to pull up vines, to prune unyielding limbs and to nourish the soil so fruit might one day grow. He was and still is faithfully showing me wild grapes in my vineyard that reflect sour and rotten attitudes. ‘Inspection becomes an act of obedience.’ p. 72. Thankfully, God is patient, loving and willing to kneel beside us as we tend to our vineyards in hopes of bearing good fruit.

Taking Our Land

“Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30 “We are not able to go up against…for they are stronger than we are.” Numbers 13:31

Have you ever noticed how some challenges seem surmountable while other challenges seem impossible? The children of Israel were standing on the verge of their Promised Land. They had been promised by God that they would lay claim to the land of Canaan as their inheritance. A group of men were sent into the land to spy on its inhabitants and better understand the fertile goodness of the land. When the men returned only two of them reported back in optimism, confidence and perspective of what they expected to happen… ‘Let us go…and overcome.’ The rest of the men reported their fearful perspective of what wasn’t going to happen… ‘We are not able…they are stronger.’ In the end the ones who lived in fear missed out on the blessing of God’s best and died without ever experiencing their inheritance. For the other two men who believed what God had promised, they received the blessings of abundance in the triumphal transaction of God’s best.

When we drift away from God, we lose perspective in His power and ability to conquer any land and circumstances to which God has brought us. We focus on the negative details of our situation instead of the confident promises of God. When we don’t spend time in the word, we read our circumstances through dark-colored glasses. When we don’t spend time in fellowship and prayer with God, we begin listening to swelling drumbeat of our fears instead of our faith. I have displayed both these attitudes in the past while standing at new borders of land where God has called me. With some, all I could see were the big giants that loomed over the land while other times, when I was more connected with the Spirit, I could see hope on the horizon.

We all have the opportunities to walk in faith or stand in fear. It is God’s desire that in every single situation that flows into our lives we will take Him at His word, and not deny Him the pleasure of bringing His best to us. No matter how big your giant is this morning don't believe the reports your fear is telling you. Go and occupy the land in this season that God has given you and you will overcome.

"Let us go! Let us occupy! Let us overcome!"

Our Defining Moment

“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” Luke 23:42

As all of you are aware last night was the final game of the NFL season…the Super Bowl. I am a huge professional football fan and unlike other years was very excited to watch these two teams. I’m not really sure why but I wanted the San Francisco 49ers to triumph. They played such a disciplined and focused game for 3 of the 4 quarters and had the lead for the majority of the game. The Chiefs looked disengaged at best and sometimes even lethargic at worse compared to their year of dominance. But as the reality of the amazing talent of the Chiefs began to emerge in the final 4 minutes of the game, I felt irritation and frustration rising. It drives me crazy when in any sport the team that holds fast and strong for the majority of the event suddenly loses for a last-minute surge. I didn’t even watch the last minute of the game, but instead went and washed my face for bed.

This morning when I awakened, I started thinking about last night’s frustration and realized how even the Bible reflects the joy of a come-from-behind win! As the criminal hung on the cross beside Jesus in his ebbing moments, he threw a ‘hail Mary.’ It would be his defining moment as Jesus’ death gave him the eternal win. “And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43.

I have walked through seasons in my life where I was so disengaged with the things of God. I would ‘march down the field’ with my team on Sundays with my Bible tucked securely in my arm. But then the rest of the week was a lethargic stroll down the field distracted by things to my left and to my right. I was so thankful when God pulled me a little closer and took me a little deeper to know His heart. I’m so thankful that Christ gives me the same win as those with the longest years of faith…those with the most obedient hearts…those with the greatest sacrifice. Wherever we are on the spectrum as believers doesn’t determine our future in eternity. As believers we are all equal as co-heirs in the God’s family. We all have been guaranteed the biggest come-from-behind win ever!