Louise Gevers

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

The gift of a beautiful little orchid in bloom, two years ago, was such a delight to me, that I carefully followed all the instructions to nurture it. Those who have been blessed to be able to make a plant thrive will understand my joy when it flowered again! Although I noticed that those flowers fell quicker than the first, I didn’t realise there was a problem until I saw that some leaves were withered, and were falling one by one. I removed the orchid from its pot and pulled away the potting medium to discover, to my horror, that some of the roots were pulpy and turning black, instead of the firm, vibrant green of others. The rotting roots were no longer able to connect to the medium and the plant was slowly starving to death, leaf by leaf as evidence, despite my monthly dose of plant food. I had to remove the rot and repot the plant to keep it connected to its life source. Miraculously, the roots have reconnected to the source of food; the withered leaves have gradually regained turgidity again.

Isn’t this so like our need to remain connected to our life source? When we remain in Him as the branches of His vine, He provides everything for us to live a sound and productive life that, like the plant, will produce blooms of great beauty and dignity. Our source is the One who said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…” (John 11:25) He alone can achieve this for us, eternally; apart from Jesus we can do nothing.

Have we looked at our leaves? Remaining connected is vital when the amount of time spent with God is so much less than other things that we devote ourselves to. Becoming fascinated with the ways and workings of the world sometimes make us struggle with choices as Christians. It’s easy to become consumed with work, habits and pastimes that usurp all our time and energy and don’t have a positive effect on our relationship with Him and others. We need to recognise when our roots start to turn black, and strip away the mushy pulp of the casing so that the tough little filament inside can revive, and we can be nurtured again from our source of wellness and life.

This can happen as we remain in Him, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

Prayer: Father, please help me to live connected to Jesus and remain in Him always. Amen.