grown from great stock

John 15:1, NIV
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

I am a gardener. I love gardening. I don’t espescially like weeding - that's just something that needs to be done! - but I love planting and pruning and planning where plants will go. My garden is my happy place.

And as I’ve gardened I've learned two things. First, you have to give plants the conditions they like or they won’t flourish. Second, the rootstock is everything. If you have poor rootstock you get a poor plant because the rootstock is the part of the plant from which new growth can be produced. And the genius of rootstock is it is possible to graft a young plant from a closely related plant species into an established rootstock. Why is this genius? Because the young plant benefits immediately from the quality of the old rootstock. For example, rootstock allows young trees to bear fruit earlier. It also determines the tree and root system size, the yield, longevity, resistance to pests and disease, cold hardiness and the plant’s ability to adapt to soil types.

So when Jesus says, “I am the true vine.” I get really, really excited because I know I am grafted into quality rootstock and it is my being directly linked to Jesus that will determine how quickly I bear fruit, what my yield is, my longevity, my resistance to pests and disease, my hardiness and my ability to adapt to the conditions I face.

That is true for all of us who love and follow Jesus. We can celebrate today because we come from great stock.

Let's pray
Thank you, Father, that you have provided the greatest rootstock in Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, that it is your greatness that determines my ongoing strength, growth and resilience. I bless you for your continued tender care. Amen.