Identity- I am the vine, ye are the branches
The first and most important step in being connected and staying connected is knowing who you are and where you belong.
God – Husbandman
Jesus –Vine
Us-Branches’
Responsibilities
Husbandman – Caretaker of the vine
Indentify the condition of the branches’
Remove the branches’ that are not producing fruit
Purge the Fruitful branches’ of unfruitful things
Key – The power for growth is in the hand of the husbandman.
If you leave an orchard unattended it will still grow. But, it will not produce the fruit of an attended vine and over time weeds will overtake it and inhibit its ability to grow.
To ease the load on the vine, he removes unfruitful branches’, to ease the load on the branches’ he removes unfruitful (insignificant) energy zapping things. Allows both vine and branch to be more fruitful.
Vine- grows, supports, and nourishes the branches’
Provides what each branch needs to be fruitful
Is one with the branch. The branches’ success is the vines success.
Produce new branches’. The fruit of the vine is the branches’.
Branch – Produce Fruit.
Stay plugged in to the power or connected to the vine.
Receive its power and support from the vine
Now that we know our responsibility the rest is simple, right? How hard could that be?
I mean all the branch has to do is hang on, accept what the vine supplies, receive a little pruning and produce fruit.
Forgetting one’s identity can affect your connection.
Let’s use King David as an example:
2 Samuel 11:1 (KJV) And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
What was David’s identity?
Based upon his identity, where should he have been?
What other things did David forget?
Did his disconnection affect anyone else?
Are you or have you ever been out of place? Did, is, or will your disconnection affect anyone else?
Once David forgot who he was, he started trying to do what God would have done for him willingly.
2 Samuel 12:8 (KJV) 8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
