Last week, one of our pastors, Jacob Collins, spoke a bit about John 15, you know where Jesus says that he's the vine, we're the branches and God's the gardener. Jacob had been wondering, "what's the purpose of the vine?" and he decided that that since a gardener grows grapes to enjoy them, we're simply grown for God's pleasure as well.
Sure I agree with that and there are plenty of other scriptures that say that directly. But, being an avid gardener it got me thinking about the new pole beans I was just admiring in my own yard and ruminating about lots of other details in the raising grapes process. (My grape vines aren't flowering but my pole beans sure are.) That made me realize that there's a whole lot that happens before God gets his pleasure.
Ask yourself, before the fruit, what happened to that vine? Well, first there was lots of soil preparation, nutrients added, weeds eliminated, vine planting and then watering. In our lives, how does that translate? Isn't it our history? Isn't it our life story? Don't you see how God has prepared and set up your own life just to get you in the place you are today? I've got watermelon vines growing in one of my boxes now. Each day I look at them and redirect their path so that they will be working their way to the trellis that I have for them to climb up. Don't you see how God's redirected your path as you have grown? Are you letting your self be guided up the trellis?
But then, right before the fruit, what does the vine do? FLOWER! Isn't that just beautiful? I get so excited when my plants are flowering as I am already anticipating the food. And I study the flowers. Aren't those tomato flowers just so sunny and cheery? And the bean flowers? I think they are so lovely and delicate. Isn't it lovely how they curl around and almost look like tiny orchid flowers? So lovely. There is a huge smile on my face and I am sure there is more bounce in my step as I see the flowers throughout my garden.
Don't you just know that's the way it is for God, too? He looks at us flowering and he must be so excited! I bet he just smiles and jumps up and down just like I do. But, he doesn't stop there. He also sends in the bees, lady bugs and earthworms. Raising grapes doesn't just happen but requires the efforts of many other active participants.
Who are our bees? Who visits our flowers and makes sure they are pollinated? Isn't it those of us who study God's Word passing on our enthusiasm and outright need for this lifeblood?
What about our lady bugs? Who scours up and down the vine eating up all the predatory aphids? Wouldn't that be those of us on our knees begging the Lord for protection? How about our angels placed both on our left and right, actively knocking Satan's arrows out of the way.
What about our earthworms? Who travels in our deep recesses making sure our soil is healthy, aerated and able to pass on it's nutrients to the plant? I wonder if that's the Holy Spirit, talking to us, encouraging us, and leading us on?
