365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 30: Vine

Vine

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NLT) 

My family and I have a 100-year-old barn at the back of our property. I love this barn...it was very nearly what sold me on our house, which, in its original sale condition, had a fair amount that had to be forgiven.

In hopes of saving our barn from rack and ruin, we've put on new paint and a new roof and put in a new floor. But there is also the matter of the vines that like to crawl up the east and west ends. Left to their own devices, these vines work their way up and in where they don't belong. So early every summer, I arm myself with pruners and hack them off at ground level. Thus detached from their root—their source—they shrivel up and die. They still cling to the barn at that point, but I can pull them down with no effort. They are really only shells of themselves.

Of course, you, my dear noggins, are smart and know exactly what this has to do with today's NOG. Jesus tells us He is the true Vine. But cut off from Him—our Source—we wither, and we're easily pulled down by the enemy. But attached to Him—through prayer, worship, Bible study, fellowship, and service—we grow and thrive and flourish and climb.