I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5.
For over a week, I had my eye on this brown, withered leaf that dangled from a tree in my backyard, fluttering furiously in the breeze. Every morning, when I sat at my normal place at the end of the sofa with coffee, bible, and iPhone, I watched that leaf - all alone, flapping around frantically with the wind, brown and crinkly with no green leafy friends to provide comfort. Because I'm creative, I see the spiritual side in nature and like to personify birds and flowers and the like. I felt like this leaf had a story - it must have, or why would it, of all leaves, be ready at any moment to fall to the ground when it's neighbors where healthy and alive, living in thick clusters, and fluttering delicately and majestically as the wind blew?
I thought of this scripture and was reminded of many professing Christians, who for some reason or another, cut themselves off from the life giving force of God's Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe they were once attached to the vine, feeding from Jesus, resting in Him, and then something happens. Fear descends due to sickness or financial hardship, or tragedy strikes, or just the grind of life reveals that their faith was never real to begin with - that they were never truly born again into a new creation. Like that leaf, they become frantic and unsteady, isolated and alone, with no firm foundation upon which to rest. Unless they get reattached to the vine somehow, they are destined to fall away.
As I watched that leaf, I wondered if nature could provide a way for it to become part of the vine again. But then a strong windstorm hit the next morning, assuring its destiny. While it hung on to the tree as long as possible, flapping about like a sail on the high seas, it eventually disappeared. Strangely, I felt sad.
But thankfully, mankind is not like that leaf. If anyone realizes they have become detached from the life-giving vine (which is Christ), they can repent and become a born-again new creation in Him. The dead things in their life will be rejuvenated and the greenness of fresh growth will be revealed. For man, it is never too late!
