Broken Branches

The sky is darkening and raindrops are lazily speckling the window. The weather forecast calls for some mild showers today with the possibility of thunderstorms in other places around the Midwest.

Sounds pretty mild compared to what has taken place in other parts of the nation. I recently saw some of the damage from ice and wind storms that left over 150,000 Kentucky homes and businesses without power earlier this year. Branches of trees were broken and down for miles along the parkway.



It brought John 15:5 to mind where Jesus paints a vivid word picture for us: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Connection is the key. This spring those broken branches will not have the life-giving connection they need to produce leaves and fruit. In fact, the road crews had already been out cutting and clearing debris.

Jesus tells us a flourishing, worthwhile life comes from close relationship with Him. He is the source of life and vitality, the source of any lasting fruitfulness in our lives. Whether life brings mild days or stormy gales, we must remain dependent upon Jesus. A fruitful life is a dependent life.