Pruning

"I am the True Vine."

I've always loved those seven "I am" statements that Jesus makes throughout the book of John, but have seen them in a totally different light after our pastor JR's series entitled "Jesus according to Jesus."

JR has such a great way of using metaphors to illustrate his point, and I loved the illustration he used in describing how Jesus is the true vine and the Father is the vine dresser this past Sunday. He comically told us of a video he found on "YouTube" of a woman pruning shrubbery- (yes, they actually have videos of that... crazy) and how important it is to cut off the dead branches, and even the living branches that are somewhat getting in the way and aren't contributing to the greater well being of the entire plant. While picturing some woman describing how best to prune a shrub on "YouTube" is pretty funny, applying the metaphor to our own lives is actually kinda scary.

We, too, have so many areas in our lives that are like these dead branches that need to be cut out and pruned so that we may live the fullest life that God intends for us. What a beautiful picture it is to think of Him working in our lives to rid us of these "dead branches"- no matter how painful it may be in the moment for us to realize, accept, and then change these areas- for our own greater good. He always has our best interests in mind; sometimes we just need to let Him in and prune away to reveal it! It was such a sweet picture to me- God being the vine dresser and taking out our "dead" areas, and Jesus being the true vine that we need to let in and take over our lives- such a great reminder. I definitely cannot do this sermon justice so if you missed it and are interested in more, check it out at www.apostlesnyc.com !