The words came to mind easily as sin was discussed during the worship service. I grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled it out before placing it at the cross. 

But here’s the thing about sin… when I’m not intentionally cultivating my relationship with Christ, I step back into its clutches.

My inclination toward self-reliance, quickly strangles any budding fruit and requires pruning.

Not even twenty-four hours after placing my identified sin before Christ, I stood spouting off my capabilities to my husband.  Ryan’s words of caution elicited anger; and prideful self-reliance was once again held tightly in my grasp.

“There is nothing wrong with me, I can do it myself…” I argued, like a stubborn toddler.

The following day, per usual my approach led to frustration instead of enjoyment, eventually causing my system to shut down.

“When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom.”

Proverbs 11:2, NASB

Pride and self-reliance say, I’m capable of doing everything on my own.

They communicate that my worth is a direct reflection of what I accomplish. They place unnecessary pressure and unrealistic expectations to be more, do more.

Now before my fellow list makers come at me… organization and to-do lists are not bad things. The sin problem escalates when we become fixated to the point of sacrificing our health and relationships.

Wisdom and humility speak a much different language. Humility takes the focus off of self and recognizes what is true. It redirects our approach to accepting God’s best. 

By exercising humility we cast off our old nature, corrupted by the spirit of self-reliance, and replace it with our newness in Christ. (Ephesians 4:22-24, NLT)

We no longer have a need for self-reliance and therefore become God-reliant. As we grow in Christ, we recognize that He is our resource and begin allowing the Holy Spirit authority to spotlight sin in our lives. 

Rebounding from sin is a matter of repentance. It is acknowledging our need for forgiveness. In this instance, I consciously set aside selfish desires for validation and asked the Lord to replace them with His truth. 

I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]. You are already clean because of the word which I have given you [the teachings which I have discussed with you]. Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”

John 15:1-5, AMP

Jesus uses the imagery of a vine when talking about the interconnected relationship between himself and His followers. God the Father represents the gardener who tends the vine, pruning away anything that hinders growth.

Upon our acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice, we are made clean. However, this passage illustrates our need to remain tethered to the vine. The repetitive pruning brings forth fruit that apart from Him cannot survive. 

The vines' sole purpose is to nourish, feed, and grow the branches. The branches exist to bear the fruit of the vine. It’s Jesus' work within our lives that will produce the evidence of our faith.

Are you connected to the vine, dear reader, do you like me, require further pruning in areas of your life; or is your harvest plentiful? 

Wherever you may find yourself today, may I encourage you with this thought…

The rate at which the branches of our faith journey develop, is directly tied to our dependence on the vine. 

May we seek to remain entwined in the vine, recognizing our need for continuous pruning to produce fruit in abundance.