(Part 1 - Spiritual fruit) I am the vine, you are the branches

John 15:5 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. KJV

This passage of scripture has been resonating with me for a while now and the more I meditate on it, the more I'm reminded of a phrase that a dear friend of mine told me one day when we were talking about the quality of grapes when shopping for them. He said "The grape is as good as the vine" if the vine is old and withered then the grapes will not last long but if the vine is firm and fresh then the grapes will last longer. Although this was something that was discussed in the physical realm, I couldn't help but relate to it as well in the spiritual realm.

Jesus says that He is the vine and that WE are the branches and that if we abide in him, we'll bring forth a lot of fruit so I put two and two together and decided to focus on the interesting combination of the three intricate details of the scripture: The vine, the branch and the fruit. Now the vine and branches go hand in hand in order to bring forth good fruit. The quality of the fruit is dependent on the vine and the branches. It is something that the fruit needs in order for it to be fruitful, supple and tasteful.

That means that if Jesus considers me a branch that he needs to bring forth good fruit, he values me A LOT because HIS purpose for me goes hand in hand for what he wants to manifest on this earth. If the branch aka "I" is not good, then the fruit will be of no good no matter how good the vine is. See only when we hook up (agree) with Jesus and all of his great qualities then we can become a branch that will eventually yield good fruit. The branch is just the process that we have to go through in order to yield the fruit.

So seeing that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches that yield fruit, the only fruit that can be yielded is good fruit because we are all on one accord. Our "fruit" aka light must reflect and imitate Jesus and all of his qualities. If the branches are not in agreement with the vine, then they will break off and be of no good and no "fruit" would be able to grow. So we must strive everyday to be the "good fruit" in the world because without the vine, the branches and the "good fruit" that it produces, we won't be able to do anything that would glorify God.

(c) Lorraine Benjamin 2012