John 15:1-5 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."
This scripture gives me hope, and it tells me how to live. The image of the vine and the branches speaks to me of the importance of being in relationship with God. With Him, I can do anything, but without Him, I can do nothing.
I want to follow God and serve Him in my life, but I cannot do that unless I am pursuing my relationship with Him. Of course God can still work through me when I have neglected Him - He's God, He can do anything!! - but when I seek to be in relationship with Him, I allow Him to use me and to work through me, and I am able to bear much more fruit.
Some of the ways I seek to 'remain in Him' are through prayer, scripture and surrender. Spending time with God in prayer is perhaps the main way to strengthen my relationship with God. Prayer allows me the opportunity to take some time out from each day, to reflect upon my life and all that is going on, and to tell Him about anything that may be on my mind.
Part of my prayer is reading the Bible, allowing God to speak to me through his Word. Reflecting on scriptures helps me to know and understand God more, and I am also able to see areas I need to grow in. As I become aware of my fears and failings, I give them to God, and I know that 'He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit'. I don't just surrender my struggles and sins and doubts though, but I also give Him my joys, triumphs, hopes and dreams. In surrendering these things, I am saying 'Jesus, I want you to be Lord of all my life, and so I trust these things to you, and I believe that you will make the best out of them'. I know that sometimes (often?) God will do things very different to how I might want them done, but I trust Him because I know He has the bigger picture!
Ultimately, I think this scripture is about trust - trusting God with all that we are, and giving all we are to Him. It is only when we do this that He is able to work in all of our lives, taking the weeds away and pruning us so that we can bear more fruit. When our broken branches are removed and our healthy branches are nurtured, we can follow Him and serve Him more, and in bearing rich fruit, God is glorified. And that's what I want in my life!
