The True Vine

Growing up in Cucamonga, CA, (Yes, there is a Cucamonga, only now it is known as Rancho Cucamonga.) there were vineyards and wineries. Every year after the grapes were harvested, the leaves have turned brown and were dry, the next time we would drive by that would be pruning them back to the vine that is coming out of the ground and the branches that are off of the vine. Any off-shoots from the vine were removed earlier in the year since they will take nutrion away from the branches.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1&2

As I was preparing for this study this week, I was on the pruning end of the Father’s shears. Usually when I think of getting pruned, I thik of going through some major trial and the suffering that may come through that. That is not at all what happened.

First of all, He removed some off-shoot that was taking away from me truly understanding who He is. Something that had attached to the True Vine that kept me from fully experiencing His full love. Having had an abusive dad I had some of how I felt from his abuse blur my view of Him. In order for Him to get to prunning He needed to get rid of that.

Once that was gone, He got started on prunning some of the dead dried branches off. When He got to something that had chrushed my heart back when I was in Jr. High, He gently removed that hurt and replaced it with the real truth about Him. I had been hurt so deeply by what a Sunday School teacher said that I never wanted to go back to chruch or as long as she was teaching. God saw that hurt and decided that it had hindered me long enough that when He removed it He replaced it with a new view of who I am.

Part of the healing came from the song, “He Knows My Name” by Francesca Battistelli. Sure I could have chosen a video of the song without the testimonies but just add mine to them.