Click here to support PiFò Haiti's Community Garden Project.
A Lent devotional on John 15:1-8
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”
I am here at Loversall Vineyard. It is a family run vineyard in Doncaster. These vines are quite young, but did you know that grapevines can live for over 100 years and continue to produce fruit? Some of the world’s oldest vines, like the famous Žametovka vine in Slovenia, are over 400 years old and still bear grapes! Like these vines, John chapter 15 shows us that when we stay connected to Jesus, our faith stays strong and keeps bearing fruit.
Just like a plant, when we become disconnected from the vine, our faith begins to wither and die. We have to make the daily decision to remain in God in order to continue to “bear much fruit”, as it is by our fruit that we show ourselves to be Jesus’ disciples.
It is easy to fall into the thinking that it is by our own strength that we bear fruit. That if we try really hard, we will be good people. This may be true to an extent, but if we are to fulfil God’s true purpose for us, and create lasting fruit, we have to remain connected to the vine. As it says in verse 4, just as a branch cannot produce fruit on its own, alone we will always fall short.
But how do we remain connected to the vine? By spending time in prayer, immersing ourselves in His Word, and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape us. When we do, the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – will grow in our lives.
When we remain in Him, He transforms us, making us more like Him and equipping us to fulfil His purpose in ways we could never achieve on our own.
PiFò Haiti’s community garden project is a great example of an outcome following people remaining rooted in Christ. This garden is making a real difference, providing food and jobs for people in the community, but would not have come about without the faithfulness of those who set it up. They had a vision, stayed rooted in Christ, and are now living in the fruit produced. This Easter, consider how you can support this transformative work, helping to plant seeds of hope and growth in the lives of those on La Gonâve. Click here to donate to PiFò Haiti today.
