Scripture Reading for Thursday, March 20th

Reading: John 15:1-8

Life on the Vine

As a kid I would play outside a lot when the weather was nice. In my backyard I had a sandbox, a small yard and a swing. Being a pastors kid, I lived next door to the church. It was a stone building, standing at the corner of 5th and Kimbark in Longmont, Colorado. I think it is an office building these days.

As a small church pastor my dad did a lot of the yard work and upkeep of both the house and church. Each year we would get tons of dandelions in the yard of the house and church, so one day my dad made me an offer that I couldn't refuse: one penny for each dandelion I picked. Now, to be fair my work ethic wasn't that great in those days so my dad figured I might pick a quarters worth (25); however I proceeded to pick as many as I could. I don't remember the exact amount but I ended up with somewhere around three or four dollars worth of dandelion heads.

Why pick them? The dandelions would not survive without being attached to their root system, and since I had picked them while they were still yellow they didn't have the chance to turn to seed, set sail in the wind, and make more dandelions.

When you cut off the source of energy for a living thing, it dies, and our spirit and soul are no different.

As we go through life we will face challenges large and small, but what keeps us rooted and able to weather the storms is our connection to our heavenly father through Jesus Christ. Without that connection we are useless, fruitless, and unable to flower and become a spiritually reproducing, and life-giving person.

As we head further down the road to Jerusalem with our Lord, we remember that to be with Jesus is to drink from the very life of God.

Questions for Reflection or Journaling

What do you turn to as your source of strength? Is it your heavenly father, or other things?
Have you allowed God to trim your vine? Have you listened to his word?

Prayer

Father, you are the source of life. To not know you, is to know only death and disconnection. We ask today that your word would infiltrate us as a source of goodness. Create in us a life pleasing to you, and able to reproduce your love.

Amen