Nougat 17

Yesterday I watched a social media influencer reminisce about home. He was sharing some information about ‘bush medicine’ and in his usual comic way added a vine that was popular among youth for building or dashing one’s romantic hopes. Of course, with our study on my mind, I couldn’t help but think about our True Love, Who never ever dashes our desire for love from Him. Please receive Today’s Holy Nougat

John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

““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.” ‭‭

Fruits of His Love

Although not all vines bears fruit, grapevines do. For many vintners, this is the sole value of the grapevine. In fact, a grapevine’s value is actually determined by the number of fruitful years it is estimated to have remaining. According to ResearchGate, grapes are the third most valuable horticultural crop globally. I know that grape leaves also carry high cultural value, but it is the fruit that defines the value of the grapevine – literally, naturally, and socially.

This implies that a branch must remain on the vine so that it fulfills its purpose of producing fruit. Siblings, that is the same for us branches of the True Vine: our purpose is to produce fruit! Based on that premise, we can find ourselves asking what is our spiritual value if we’re not producing fruit? Yikes, I’m not sure I even want us to delve too deeply there! Yet, if we are not bearing fruit, i.e., making new disciples of Y’shua, what really are we about?

For those who wonder how to do this, it begins with sharing God’s Love to all; and all means all (including that person who doesn’t like us, or whom we’d rather not know or remember). Yes, that’s where it all begins. With loving our neighbor as ourselves. When others are able to see and feel our love, they will be drawn – not to us only, but also – to the love of our God manifested through Y’shua. His love redefined our relationship with God, and invites us to keep it going.

So we take interest in the cares and needs of others, inviting them to ‘cast our cares on Him (Y’shua), for He cares for …’ us (see 1 Peter 5:7). Of course, where possible, we can do our part in alleviating the needs of others, following His example. For, in loving others we also direct them to the One Who first loves us.

It’s interesting that among average grape consumers, many of us aren’t excessively concerned about the vine – we’re just keen on the fruit’s quality. Among vintners, the quality of the fruit is dependent on the vine. For some, their livelihoods are determined by that.

The same holds true for our survival. We really need the True Vine to realize our potential in just about every aspect of our life. While the world may seem unconcerned about Our Source, we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that our fruitfulness is rooted in our personal connection to The True Vine.

What then is the state of our connection?

Let’s keep our

– Prayer Lives,

– Time in the Word, and

– Fellowship with other Believers

on point, so that our connection remains fruitful.

—

May all we seek be found in Christ