Party God
When Christ speaks of the vine and the branches. I think of the relationship of God, as the farmer, Jesus as the Vine and all of us are branches connected to the vine. The harvest is on the way and the farmer needs to make sure that there is wine for his guests to drink. This harvest is the rapture. This is the biggest party of eternity and bad wine is not an option. The farmer has given everything to the vine that it needs tobear good branches and therefore bear good fruit. The farmer will grant any request to the vine and its branches so that it may bear good fruit. The more grapes to make wine the merrier the party. Jesus says in verse .5 that his relation with us is "intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing".
There is no separation between the vine and the branches, the vine is the branch and the branch is the vine. This is why He became man. So that he could be the branch and at the same time weave together the vine that would form the vineyard. He would know best the implication of existing outside the vine. "6 Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire." Some ask why a good God would create hell. Think of Him as a farmer, would a good vine yard make bad wine? And we all know how particular God is about wine. *Think about the first miracle of Christ.* One thing about our Father is that he knows how to throw a party. It is because of love and mercy that he will only serve the best. What if he had served bad wine at the wedding of Capernum? Would it be right to say that it was because He felt bad for a few bad grapes so He mixed them in with the good stuff? That would make Him a sloppy party thrower and I don't think sloppy is a God brand. With the water the father has given the vine, the vine passes to the branches and the grapes flourish.
So Chirst makes it simple "7 But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon." 8 This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. His success is directly tied into our success of producing grapes so why would he not give us anything we require. The question is not one of God granting our every desire but its really how do our desires plug into the bigger picture. Do our desires translate to more grapes? Because that is our purpose for being. Our purpose it tied so closely to God's success so how could we be servants? We are stake holders, partakers, brothers, family. Even the angels cannot boast of this.
I have prayed so long about the shiny new things I wanted? Sometimes they have been granted to me and sometimes they have passed me by. I have been angry, upset, felt unloved, become temperamental and thrown spiritual tantrums. I realize now i have been asking for all the wrong things. things that would not translate better grapes for the final party. Things that will pass within a season. The question i ask myself now is how will my requests translate to the bigger picture? I find it becomes harder to justify praying for the next promotion, or new car because when I ask myself how they plug in with God's party and translate to sweeter grapes, I find myself speechless. It is through his enduring love that He gives us the things we need and every now and then the things we just want. Let us try for a week not praying for the shiny new's. Let us pray for enablement towards the success of the final party.
Created about 2 years ago
