Grafted In

 

I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.  John 15:5

 Another passage in the Bible (Romans 11:11-31) talks about how we (Gentiles or Non-Jewish people) are grafted into the family of God by Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Grafting is a type of plant propagation or multiplication. Plants reproduce in two ways: sexually and asexually.

 Sexual plant reproduction involves the pollen from one flower being transported and coming into contact with the stigma of another flower on the same plant or another plant of its species. This is typically done by pollinators like bees and hummingbirds but can be accomplished by gardeners as well (I had to do this by hand with a Q-Tip when we grew a giant pumpkin). The result of this pollination is some sort of fruit (perhaps just a seed pod) with seeds. The seeds can then be replanted to create more plants.

 Asexual plant propagation happens when you help a plant reproduce from itself. This can be accomplished by dividing the plant at its base, taking a cutting and rooting it, layering it (creating off shoots from a stem while it is still connected to the plant) or through grafting. With grafting, you take a part of a plant (a branch or even a bud) and connect it to the root stock of another plant.

 When you graft two plants together, their internal tissues, or vascular cambium tissues, must be in connection with each other. You have to peel away the bark or outer skin of the branch and then pierce the rootstock in such a way that they are in complete contact. This allows the vascular connections to take place and the nutrients to begin to flow from the root stock to the newly grafted branch.

 This process reminds me so much of the importance of skin-to-skin contact with a newborn. When a newborn rests on it’s parent’s chest, over time their heartbeats begin to synchronize. This can calm the baby, give it comfort and security, and help it to face the world. They say you can even do breathwork like this with pets, though I’ve never successfully accomplished it 😂.

Here's the Thing: Just like with grafting, and with newborns, we need to stay in connection with our root stock, our parent, to receive nutrients and learn how to face the world in a new way. God holds us close to Him, allowing those vascular connection to take place. Our job in this? To rest in Him. To remain in Him. To trust Him. We don’t have to prove our worth or justify our position in Him. He chose to put us where we are and He will use us there. We just have to be willing and engaged with Him.

Abiding in Jesus

  1. Week 1: Trusting the Gardener's Work
    1. John 15:1 - Seven Things Jesus Is
    2. John 15:2 - Pinch Those Suckers Out!
    3. Philippians 2:12-13 - Working Out My Salvation
    4. Matthew 5:16 - Stay Salty!
    5. 1 John 1:6 - Walking in Relationship
  2. Week 2: Bearing Lasting Fruit
    1. John 15:3-4 - It Takes Two to Abide
    2. John 15:5 - Grafted In
    3. John 15:6 - The Most Important Post You'll Ever Read
    4. Psalm 1:1-3 - What We Expect to See
    5. Galatians 5:22
  3. Week 3: Abiding in Jesus Through His Word
    1. John 15:7-8
    2. John 8:31-32
    3. Psalm 119:9-11
    4. Psalm 119:15-16
    5. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  4. Week 4: Abiding in Jesus Through Obedience
    1. John 15:9-10
    2. James 1:22
    3. 1 John 3:24
    4. Matthew 7:24-25
    5. John 14:23-24
  5. Week 5: Abiding in Jesus Through Love
    1. John 15:11-12
    2. John 15:13-14
    3. 1 John 4:10
    4. 1 John 4:11-12
    5. Romans 12:9-13
  6. Week 6: Chosen and Commissioned by Christ to Bear Fruit
    1. John 15:15
    2. John 15:16
    3. Ephesians 2:10
    4. Galatians 6:9
    5. John 15:17

Wrap-Up

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