I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5
The last identity statement we covered in this series was:
As our Good Shepherd, He is perfectly-intentioned towards us and longs to protect us from what intends to destroy us. Our role as the sheep is simply to abide in His pastures.
The Lord has met us in the details of this study in such a beautiful way as each one led perfectly into the next one, and this statement is no different. As we look at our final Identity Statement, I am the branch & He is the Vine, He illustrates for us the fruit of abiding in Him.
The vine is what delivers the necessary nutrients, water, etc. to what is connected to it in order to keep everything alive. It is the source of life, in a very literal way. The branch, then, is dependent upon the vine to live and produce fruit. I'm sure you see where there is going...
When it comes to our identity and relationship to Christ, He is the source of life - physically and spiritually - and we are dependent upon our connection to and relationship with Him to live and produce fruit (Galatians 5). What does this mean for us in an every day life kind of way? It means that I am to live as though I am dependent upon all that Christ is; His strength, His faithfulness, His grace, mercy and love, His gentleness... because I am! As the branch, I am to live a life surrendered to my need for Him.
It sounds like an odd place to want to be - dependent upon someone or something outside of ourselves. The world is constantly telling us, especially women right now, that we should be self-sufficient in every possible way. But oh how dependency becomes desirable when you experience the fullness of who He is and longs to be in your life. Being dependent upon Him is the most perfect, fulfilling place to be.
And what a poetic way to end this study. This identity statement perfectly summarizes all the rest of them in that our identity itself is dependent upon who He is.
My prayer is that this study has blessed you and your walk with the Lord, and that you continue giving God the time and space to show you exactly who you are in Him.
~ Alyssa