I was greatly encouraged and uplifted by these verses this morning as I turned to the Word.

The living vine is a reality!

John 15:1 I am the true vine…

John 15:4-5 Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

John 15:8 In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so you will become My disciples.

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.

Our heavenly Father works Himself with all His riches into the Son, the vine. He works Himself with all His riches into the vine, and eventually the vine expresses these riches in full. As the riches of the Father flow out through the branches, they nourish the branches and make them so vibrant and full of life, enabling them to reach others, expressing and glorifying God! One of these riches is in verse 11 – His joy – and is a perfect example of the riches of the Father being expressed through the branches – that is, us. Experiencing joy is one of those more abstract experiences that can’t be qualified or quantified adequately in words – it must be felt. Like life, you know when it is there, and when it is not – the stark contrast is clear. Having the divine life in us is to experience the divine joy flowing within!