Connected to the vine of Jesus Christ by Marisol Rodriguez

 

Hello Brave Hearted Steppers,

John 15:1-7 “Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me."

When I was asked about writing this blog, my response was, ‘I can do this as the Lord spoke to me on this same topic the night before.” But then, as I kept thinking on the topic and meditating with God, he brought to my mind of “the journey.” I have been in the walk for the past 15 years, and I can honestly say that I have experienced great times with the Lord as well as lived hard and difficult times. My commitment has been to say focused on Him while keeping the faith. While meditating on this task, I kept asking God, “Am I fulfilling your will, am I doing right before you, or am I lost in the journey?” The Lord answered, “it is not how you start but how you end the good race.” In other words, many people start strong in their walk with Christ, but in the middle of their journey, they tend to slow down, lose focus to the point that they get disconnected, and leave the walk to the point, at times, go astray. They may feel they are still walking with God, but in reality, they end up walking a different path in life. Their passion is no longer for Christ nor fulfilling the will of God, and that is a dangerous place to be spiritually. But our God is so loving that He takes it upon himself to remind us of the journey and the fact that no good fruit will be produced without Him. It is a reminder to return to our first love, “Jesus,” so we can then get back connected to the vine. The result is dependent on our response to that calling in our lives. We as believers need to understand that as we walk in obedience and remain in faith to the end, God will show up, and He will do just as He promised and said He will do!

One of my favorite people noted in the bible is Apostle Paul, who gave himself totally to the will of God. He kept on going in the midst of all his trials and challenges, and at the end, stated in 2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This was the best example besides Jesus' story that can come to compare to remaining connected to the vine of Jesus Christ. Paul teaches us that being connected to the vine is what will help you finish the good fight in life and will help you finish the race of life. Your “faith” is the key to your success. Your resistance to not give up is what pushes your faith to keep on, which then turns into a fuel of ammunition of fire to finish what God started in you. God is just amazing!

But you may ask, “How can you really remain connected when life is hard? Life brings uncertainty of what may happen next and the many challenges and trials too?” I will not say I am an expert on this, but I can honestly say that as humans, we tend to sometimes forget the start of your relationship with God through Jesus, as well as the many times he has saved you, positioned you, delivered you, healed you, and favored you to help you keep moving forward. If there is anything that you take from this blog is to be encouraged, keep your faith, keep your prayers lifted, keep your fasting periods with Him, keep reading the daily scriptures, and keep the passion of meditation moments with Him because all of this is the medicine to keep your spirit and soul healthy and nourished in Christ. It is the way of being connected in faith to the vine of Jesus Christ so you can continue to give good fruit of strength, determination, and perseverance in reverence to the one who called you to join HIM in the journey called “Life in Christ.”

I pray that this message will motivate you to remain focused and faithful to Christ who is the vine that connects you to our Heavenly Father! Give good fruit overall in obedience to Him!

Blessings,

Marisol Rodriguez