So removed from the vine...

We tell our children to eat fruit because it is healthy, I was always taught that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". My son doesn't like fruit, but he devours fruit juice on the occasion that I buy it. It is sweet and it goes down easy. I wonder how many children think that fruit juice is just as healthy as actually eating fruit. I wonder which you would prefer? I remember when I was pregnant I drank a lot of fruit juice and the doctor told me I was putting on too much weight. When we discussed what I was eating and drinking, he said, 'Stop drinking the fruit juice. It's full of sugar.' So I did and it really helped. I know today we are all more aware of this and there are freshly squeezed options of fruit juices, but can it ever replace the piece of fruit?

So, let's consider the fruit. How often in my house do we throw away fruit? Is it just my house or does fruit just not last that long before it goes off. We live In a fast paced, processed world where the fruit in the supermarket is not always fresh. it's designed to last till we buy it and then it tends to go off in the next few days in the fruit bowl, not to mention certain fruit that never really ripens at all, but stays hard and tasteless. The challenge is that we don't know where it has come from and how fresh it is or whether it has been sitting in cold storage for 6 months.

It made me consider how far away we have come from eating the fruit of the true vine, what it means to bear fruit that is attractive, how to know where to get the good fruit! It challenges me to think about what kind of fruit are we giving to our families? Are we guilty of watering down the fruit till it is only experienced in a sweet, watery substance, instead of the original freshly picked fruit?

We are so far removed from picking fresh fruit from the vine and appreciating where it has come from and enjoy the nourishment of it!

It is true,  fruit once picked is not designed to last, but knowing when it is picked and where to go to get fresh fruit, would make a difference to the enjoyment of it.

When I think of the Christian life, I am challenged to consider whether we are we guilty of doing this as well.

The word says in John 15 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener (v1)."

The Greek word translated 'true' in that sentence means real, actual, not counterfeit but genuine. Jesus said: 'I am the real, the true, the actual, the genuine vine.'

There are many counterfeit vines in this world that we can attach ourselves to— But there is only one true vine who will enable us to bear fruit for God, and that vine is Jesus Christ.

Are we really empowering our families to be connected to the 'true' vine.  A topic today that creates so much discussion in the church is, who is the one who teaches and spiritually raises the child in the home? Biblically we know that God deemed this role for parents, and the community of faith is to support that. I hear from parents all the time, "we want to do this but we don't know where to start". For me, if we are the branches and He is the vine, and God is the Gardner, then it seems clear to me that we are called to live our lives close to him and draw others to Him. We are simply called to let him bear fruit in us, and allow the father to be the gardener in our lives.

Then our key role as leaders it to be firmly connected to Him and help others to be connected to Him so they can produce fruit direct from the vine.  I think as leaders sometimes we have fallen Into the trap of thinking we have to bear the fruit and then make it into juice so it is easier and sweeter for children and families to drink.

John 15 goes on to say "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relationship is intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.

Maybe we are not seeing the fruit of our ministries because we are not connecting our families and children to the 'true' vine, but rather a church service, a pastor, a leader, a children's worker, a program. As a parent, I don't want to ever give my children sweetened juice as an alternative to the fruit direct from the 'true' vine. I want to lead them to the 'true' vine and let them become His branches and bear fruit direct from Him.

For me that means I don't simply drop them off at a children's program and hope someone else shows them the way. It means that they don't just watch me serve and love Christ in ministry. It means that I have to create and empower them to connect with God themselves. It means that together we can learn and listen to God and share the faith journey in our very day life. To bear fruit, there must be daily growth. We must always be growing, as fruit once picked needs to be eaten quickly and more must grow in its place. This is more than a 'once week on a Sunday' kind of life.

It means we have to think about living Christian lives in a way that is less church structured and more about opportunities to connect with the 'true' vine in every day life and with others who desire to bear fruit daily. A place where we all  can serve, grow, honour the Gardner and bear fruit for His glory.

What a journey......hence we very rarely have fruit juice in our home today.