As you know, we had a bad storm a few weeks ago that caused a tree to fall across my garden and basically ruined it. One day when I went into the garden to pick up some of the branches I noticed a small watermelon under where the tree had fallen. I removed all the branches from around the watermelon plant and waited. It was the size of my thumb when I first saw it, now it is much bigger.

 

            I was talking with my aunt about my garden and the fact that the storm had killed the corn and most of everything else but I told her about the watermelon; how it had survived. Then I asked her when it would be ready to pick. She responded by saying; 'when the vine begins to turn brown and die the watermelon is ready to pick.' She went on to say 'as long as the vine is alive it is sending nutrients and life to the melon, when it dies it is no longer giving it anything, you can pick it then.'

 

            Of course my mind began to go to spiritual things. I thought about the verse found in John 15:5; Jesus said, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.'

 

            Without the vine, the watermelon would die. I saw this in the other things I had planted in my garden. When the tree fell over the plant and destroyed the vine, everything else died. But when the vines remained, the vegetables lived.

 

            Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches. As long as he lives and as long as you are attached to him, he is transferring all he is to you. Life, the zoe life of God is flowing into you. The anointing of the Anointed One is flowing into you. Miracles, signs and wonders are flowing from him to you. Do you get what I am saying? As long as you are connected to the vine, whatever is in him, is flowing to you.

 

            When it flows to you, it does just what the scripture says, it produces much fruit. Just like my watermelon plant in the garden. It is producing much fruit. It does not have one melon on there, it has several growing now.

 

            Jesus is the vine, you are the branches, all he is and all he has is flowing from him to you, daily, all he has is flowing daily to you, the life giving force of Jesus is literally flowing from him to you...from the vine to the branches. Isn't that amazing! When I think about it I am amazed at him simple yet profound it really is.

 

            We only have one goal, to stay connected to the vine. Everything else comes from him, we only have to stay connected to the vine. We can't allow storms to separate us from the vine. We can't allow bitterness or unforgiveness to separate us from the vine. We can't allow complacency to separate us from the vine. We can't allow doubt and unbelief to separate us from the vine...let nothing separate you from the vine for that is where your life source is.

 

            The scripture in John 15 goes on to say what happens when we fail to abide in the vine. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

 

            I love this scripture and now I see it in a whole new light. If we are connected to the vine and abide in that vine, we produce fruit, but not only that. As we abide in him and his words abide in us, we ask whatever we desire and it shall be done for us...all this from being connected to the vine, which is Jesus Christ. Isn't that awesome?

 

            Today, I ask you, are you connected to the vine? There is great power in being connected to the vine. Make sure today...that you are connected.

 

 

 Kim Potter