“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he
will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not
remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches
are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (Jn 15:5,6)
How it got there, I don’t know, but there it was: A huge piece of tree trunk,
hanging from the top branches of the Maple tree. It was dead, ripped away from
the mother tree, a 10-foot gap between it and where it had once been attached.
As I stared at the short section of trunk wedged in the treetop, I noticed its
branches intermingled with the vivid greens of the living tree. They were
nothing but bare, brown sticks. No leaves. No flowers. No fruit. What a stark
contrast to the living branches!
How did it get there? Why didn’t it fall down? Why didn’t someone take it out of
the tree? I will probably never know the answers to those questions, but one
thing I DO know: the only reason that trunk is dead is that it broke away from
the mother tree! Had it continued to be connected, it, too, would be sporting a
thick foliage of Maple leaves! But now it can’t bear leaves, or fruit, or
flowers. It is separated form its source of life!
As human beings, we, also, have a source of life. Our source is the Lord Jesus
Christ. But sadly, some don’t know they have a source of life. Others know it,
but they have allowed things to creep in—things that separate them from Him. For
some it is problems. For others, temptations such as immorality or greed. Or it
could be something as simple as the general busyness of life. But whatever the
cause, the result is the same. The trunk—you—became severed from the root
system—Jesus Christ—and you cannot bear fruit!
Like that dead branch, we can be separated from Jesus our entire lives and not
know it. We go on, feeling tired, empty, and alone, never knowing there is a
solution.
The poor bare branch on the Maple tree around the corner will, sadly, never live
again. Once severed from the root system, branches die. The good news, however,
is that though we’ve been severed from our “root system”—Jesus—we CAN go back!
Jesus made it possible by the shedding of His Blood. All is NOT lost! All we
have to do is ask Him to remove what separates us—our sin—and we can become
living branches, full of peace, joy, and purpose, bearing the leaves, flowers,
and fruit of an abundant life.
Do you feel empty, friend? Is your life dull, ordinary, void? If so, why not ask
Him in? He will cleanse you, heal you, and strengthen you, for there is nothing
He likes better than to see you again attached to your “root system”, bearing
fit unto righteousness!
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you
can do nothing.” (Jn 15:6)
Lyn Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.