God Will Lift You Up!

Today in a message by Joseph Prince, he brought up a great illustration.

John 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” This verse has been used many times to imply that God is going root you up and throw you out when your not bearing fruit. However, “he takes away” is not an accurate translation. In fact, in the Greek αἴρω literally means ~ “TO LIFT UP.” He then talked about something he learned while on a trip to Israel. The owner of a vineyard showed him a vine that was lying on the ground, because it did not have a trellis to climb. The owner explained that as long as it was on the ground it could not grow grapes. The owner did not cut off the vine and throw it away. Instead he lifted it up and connected it to a trellis so that it could grow and bear fruit. God isn’t out to get you. He isn’t out to cut you down. (That’s the devils job.) God wants you to bear fruit. So those seasons of your life when you’ve fallen from the trellis and are not bearing any fruit ~ Remember that God is there to lift you up! Fruit will come!