"I am the vine.........apart from me you can do nothing."

 

I have a wooded area at the edge of my backyard. There are several trees there but my wife and I like to keep the surface area mowed and clean.  After tropical storm Irma, the ground was covered with leaves and broken limbs. While cleaning it up I noticed a vine wrapped around a tree that was about 12 feet tall. I started jerking the vine to remove it only to discover that the tree had no roots in the ground.  It was dead but it was being held up by the vines. Once the vine was removed the tree fell to the ground.

 

It was then that God reminded me that how much we need the aid of The Vine. Even though pine straw and leaves were covering the bottom part of the tree, it literally had no roots in the ground but the vine held it up. Jesus says "I am the vine.........and apart from me you can do nothing"  

 

The grace of God is so evident in this scene. There will be times in life when you feel useless and maybe even lifeless. Like the vine that kept the tree standing, God's grace will do the same for you. While other trees and limbs fell to the ground, that tree withstood the storm.  

 

Yes the tree was dead but it is only when we die to ourselves that the vine is most effective. Praise God that you have been kept by the vine.