“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches; He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing.”  John 15:4-5
 
I recently read Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkerson who, if you recall, also wrote NY Times bestseller, The Prayer of Jabez.  In Secrets of the Vine, he describes how a vinedresser cares for the vineyard and how it relates to Jesus and His fruits of the vine —us.  His explanation is quite different than the more traditional interpretation of John 15:2  which says:

"Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He purges it, that it may   bring forth more fruit.” Most of us believe that the translation¬ to bear fruit relates to evangelism and the statement "He takes away" means something like, “if you persist in a life without showing evidence of your salvation, you lose it.” (Secrets of the Vine, p.32)  

Understanding that our salvation is not defined through our works “…lest we boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9);  Mr. Wilkerson began to research John 15:2 in the original Greek and found that a more accurate translation of the words, “takes away” in the original Greek, is the word airo, which means to “lift up.” 

Here’s the reason why the change in interpretation is important.  Mr. Wilkerson met a vineyard owner prior to writing the book, and he explained how a vineyard is cared for by the vinedresser.  It turns out; the vinedresser walks up and down the vineyard aisles daily, checking on the development of the vines and the fruit.  As long as the vine is upright, held up by the trellis, it will bear fruit.  If it is growing down in the dust or dirt, it will not bear fruit; primarily because, the dirt impedes the growth of the leaves, thereby stifling the production of fruit.  

Here’s the beautiful part; when the vinedresser sees that a vine is growing along the ground in the dust, he lifts it up, cleans the dust off, and reattaches it to the trellis.  As long as the vine stays connected to the trellis and off the ground, it will ultimately bear fruit.   So, Mr. Wilkerson interprets Jesus as the vinedresser, intervening in our lives to lift us out of the dust; ultimately cleansing us, then attaching us back to God, where He frees “…us of sin so we can live a more abundant life for His Glory.” (p.36) 
 
Hmmm….  I bet you never thought of yourself as a large, luscious, fruit of the vine!  L.   

Study Reference: John 15:1-16    
From:"The Vinedresser & The Vine"  In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.  
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell 
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“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”   1 Timothy 2:1, 2:8 


Recently I have been attending a church near my home.  It is literally within walking distance from my home; so on those rare occasions where I may not feel like attending services, I actually have no excuse but to roll out of bed and go. While visiting the church I was asked by the Prayer Ministry Leader to join their prayer group for prayer. I was a little surprised since it is customary for these groups to pray for specific people or issues within the church; nevertheless, I joined their group for prayer.  

Prayer is a personal issue, and intercessory prayer is even more personal. The idea of group intercessory prayer is based on Matthew 18:18-20, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them...”  Yet, not every person can intercede on behalf of others.  In order to intercede on behalf of another person, you truly have to believe anything is possible.  And, I mean anything!  True intercession, is based on clearing all of your own personal biases, concerns, fears, judgments, and preconceived notions so you can be in full agreement with the other person’s request. If the request is not something you agree with, you cannot pray for that request.  It simply cannot garner a solution from God based on the principle of touching and agreeing.  

Herein lies the problem.  In order to intercede on behalf of another, the other person really should tell you, in confidence of course, what their issue is.  They should not speak around the issue, talk in code, or ask in secrecy.  The idea is, you should actually agree with what the other person is asking for.  If it is done in secret, how do you know that you agree with the petition being place before God?   You don’t!  If they can’t tell you, then maybe they should find someone they can confide in, or begin the process of praying alone in their prayer closet. The intercessor has a spiritual responsibility to maintain the personal confidence of the person they are praying for. There are no grey areas concerning the confidentiality of the matter. Unless you are purposely enlisting the spirit-filled prayers of additional prayer partners in a prayer group for the person in question, everything told to you should be in confidence.  Take the time to pray for others, omit your own fears and truly pray for them; because, you never know when you will need someone to pray for you.  L. 

Study Reference:  1 Timothy 2:1, 2:8, Mark 1:35
From:"Praying For Others."  In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.  
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell 

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens. …A time to get and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 6 

How is it that we accept the changing seasons of the earth, and not the changing seasons of our lives? 
We spend so much time in reverie, not accepting our own transitions that we miss the beauty and depth of knowledge which occurs simply by going through the rites of passage that is our life. It is uncanny how so many of us waste time trying to recapture the simplicity of our youth without understanding that—that was then, this is now.  

If somehow you passed up your youth due to ignorance, intolerance, disobedience, or through the negligence of your parents; there really is no turning back. Your youth was spent in another type of knowledge, you learned how to not  take things for granted. Or, maybe your youth was spent within the ravages of war, confinement, molestation, or turmoil, then your youth taught you fear.  If on the other hand, you spent your youth as a child of innocence, frolicking and free; then, you have learned how special it is to relish the beauty of freedom.  

Each decade of our existence teaches us the uniquely special qualities of our life, forging new frontiers if we allow the wisdom of age to take control.  Reactions change, ideologies change, the world changes; even people change.  There are things you did as a youngster, teenager, or twenty-something that you would not be caught dead doing again.  And there are things you will do at thirty, forty, and fifty, that at 80 years old you’ll wonder if you had lost your mind.  

There is a tree outside my window that overhangs the sidewalk.  It has the most magnificent seasonal transitions.  Right before it finally goes dormant for the winter, the leaves turn a beautiful vibrant orange, then a rich deep burgundy.  I call it the flame tree, because, as part of its transition, both colors appear together right before the burgundy takes over and the leaves begin the process of falling off, marking the coming of winter.  

It is a perfect metaphor for the life of man.  Each transition offers its own beauty; its own reverence; its own time.  Embrace the beauty of your life; it and your age are luxuries that have been denied to many.  And, in this life, one thing is for certain; they will not come again.  L.  

Study Reference: Ecclesiastes 3:1-6
From:"Transitions."  In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.  
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell 

“...But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, says the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”  Jeremiah 31:32-34

There is a reason that Jesus says, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there Am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)  It is the praying people of God who form a church; and, it is people who invoke God's presence with their prayers, supplications, and submittal to God's will.  We have all seen empty boarded up churches in complete disarray across our nation; God is not sitting in those churches waiting for people to show up. We have also seen storefront churches with only 20 people praising and worshiping, no matter what some of us may think about their choice of venue, God is in the midst of them.  It is the people who invoke the presence of God.  

Of course, the problem in the church is also the people.  We bring our egos, issues, past experiences, pretense, and fear with us when we gather together. Sometimes not completely understanding that those are the very things we need to leave at the door of the church before we enter.  Our church is supposed to be a refuge, a place where we gather to invoke God's presence.  Not because we cannot invoke God's presence in the park, or in our homes, or in our closet, but because, we have set aside a specific place to invoke reverence, worship, praise, and hope.  It is also a place where non-believers, because of the presence of believers, can feel, see, and /or hear the presence of God; not because of the place, but because of the people.  

The church I currently attend, originally built in the 1880's by first-generation German Lutherans, was left boarded up and unattended for years. Afterwards, it was a community theatre and neighborhood gathering place left in complete disarray for almost 15 years, before it was bought by our congregation.  Although the ground it sits on is hallowed ground, God did not sit in it waiting for the people. He may have led our founders to the site they prayed for, but, He was with the people, not the building.  

Architects will tell you if a building is boarded up, the building will decay much faster than if people were in it using its doors, floors, and walls. Even in decay, with people in it, it will last longer. There is something very special about the presence of God’s people. God has hidden a secret treasure map deep within the recess of our hearts for us to find Him. Let us gather together, because together we invoke His ultimate power in unity to combat evil.  However, even then, understand that you in your solitude, through Jesus Christ, have a direct conduit to God.   L.  

Study Reference: Jeremiah 31:32-34
From:"Within YOU."  In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.  
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell