The Best Grapes

I was eating lunch in my car today, and had one of my favorite radio programs playing: Discover the Word.  It plays on our Christian radio station, 104.9 FM at about 12:33 pm or so.  The special guest on the program was a breast cancer survivor, and she was giving testimony about how the Lord helped her through that difficult time.  God often used others to uphold her and support her, making meals for her and her family, being an active listener, a caring heart, and someone to pray with.  Through it she drew closer to the Lord, and appreciated "community" more than ever before.  

One thing that caught my attention was that she knew some people from California who knew wines really well.  Now, I'm not advocating drinking wine, but it was interesting to hear that there were some things about grapes in the vineyard that made better wine.  The fruit of the vine is actually enhanced under certain conditions.  Grapes made better wine when they sustained a flood or a drought.  In other words, they had better flavor if they were deprived of water or were given too much.  Those trials changed the taste of the grapes into something even better. 

It was also interesting to note that the roots of grape vines can do down very deep, even to the point that they do not require watering at all to make a successful crop because the roots go so deep they can get water from under the ground.

This makes perfect sense when we think about Scripture, and what Jesus said about Himself being the vine and we are the branches.  

John 15:4-5: "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 abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

Isn't it wonderful that we as the branches on the vine can bring forth much fruit because we are connected to the vine that brings us living water?

John 4:14: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

It's a never ending supply of water!  No matter what trials we are going through, we can take comfort in the fact that we are plugged in to God, into the Vine that is our Great Provider.  He quenches our spiritual thirst.  Don't die on the vine; draw from the life giving water that will sustain you through drought, and will protect you from the floods, and will nourish you to bring forth fruit more abundantly than you ever imagined, reaching people you never thought possible, and making a difference for good in this ol' world around you! God bless you!