- Nov 27, 2003
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When we bought our present home there was a Grapevine in the backyard.
It currently has about a 10" base.
Every year I would check it for grapes. The yields were minimal.
The vine however was 30' in both directions.
It was full of aphids. A tiny insect that feeds on the newest growth of the vine.
That's where the tender leaves and the most nutrients are.
This attracts ants. The ants stimulate the aphids with their antennae this causes the aphids to secrete honeydew which the ants take back to the mound for food. It's a relationship that benefits them both.
The ants protect and defend there source of food.
A few years ago in June 2004, I read the book "Secrets of the vine" by Bruce Wilkerson.
In the book he explained how Grapevines MUST be cut back every year.
If they are not it effects the yield of fruit.
That's why Jesus said, My Father is the gardener, He cuts off every branch that has no fruit making those that do even more fruitful!
A grapevine wants to grow. It will grow several inches in 1 day.
If it isn't pruned it will grow leaves. People would walk by my house and say,
"Is that a grapevine? It's beautiful!
The whole time I was thinking "Yeah but where is the fruit?
What good is a grapevine that doesn't bear fruit.
They couldn't see the aphids sucking the life out of the plant.
Sounds like a lot of Churches. They look beautiful driving by but is there any fruit?
It says in Ezekiel a vines wood is useless, it can't even be used to make pegs.
Eze 15:2 Son of man, how is the wood of a vine better than that of a branch on any of the trees in the forest?
Eze 15:3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on?
Eze 15:4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?
It was beautiful but that wasn't it's purpose.
I went outside and cut my vine back to 3 or 4 branches. I had 2 large piles of brush.
This included cutting off the 2 vines that contained 1 very measly clusters of grapes.
I stood back and said, "Ok Lord this is my life"
Within 7 days I had my first new growth. Within 10 days my first blossom.
After only 1 month I had over 60 grape blossoms.
A 30 fold return from 1 pruning!!!!
It's interesting that grapes are only produced on the new growth each season.
The branches that bore fruit the previous year WILL NOT BEAR FRUIT!!!
God always wants to do something new. Great moves of God are what birthed most denominations.
We like our old branches because they produced fruit for us in the past. We don't know what we like, we like what we know.
Help us Lord. You are the gardener. May we allow you to prune us so that we will bear much fruit.
"Fruit that will last."
Jhn 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruitfruit that will last.
Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Allow God to prune you. Remember He disciplines those that He loves.
It currently has about a 10" base.
Every year I would check it for grapes. The yields were minimal.
The vine however was 30' in both directions.
It was full of aphids. A tiny insect that feeds on the newest growth of the vine.
That's where the tender leaves and the most nutrients are.
This attracts ants. The ants stimulate the aphids with their antennae this causes the aphids to secrete honeydew which the ants take back to the mound for food. It's a relationship that benefits them both.
The ants protect and defend there source of food.
A few years ago in June 2004, I read the book "Secrets of the vine" by Bruce Wilkerson.
In the book he explained how Grapevines MUST be cut back every year.
If they are not it effects the yield of fruit.
That's why Jesus said, My Father is the gardener, He cuts off every branch that has no fruit making those that do even more fruitful!
A grapevine wants to grow. It will grow several inches in 1 day.
If it isn't pruned it will grow leaves. People would walk by my house and say,
"Is that a grapevine? It's beautiful!
The whole time I was thinking "Yeah but where is the fruit?
What good is a grapevine that doesn't bear fruit.
They couldn't see the aphids sucking the life out of the plant.
Sounds like a lot of Churches. They look beautiful driving by but is there any fruit?
It says in Ezekiel a vines wood is useless, it can't even be used to make pegs.
Eze 15:2 Son of man, how is the wood of a vine better than that of a branch on any of the trees in the forest?
Eze 15:3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on?
Eze 15:4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?
It was beautiful but that wasn't it's purpose.
I went outside and cut my vine back to 3 or 4 branches. I had 2 large piles of brush.
This included cutting off the 2 vines that contained 1 very measly clusters of grapes.
I stood back and said, "Ok Lord this is my life"
Within 7 days I had my first new growth. Within 10 days my first blossom.
After only 1 month I had over 60 grape blossoms.
A 30 fold return from 1 pruning!!!!
It's interesting that grapes are only produced on the new growth each season.
The branches that bore fruit the previous year WILL NOT BEAR FRUIT!!!
God always wants to do something new. Great moves of God are what birthed most denominations.
We like our old branches because they produced fruit for us in the past. We don't know what we like, we like what we know.
Help us Lord. You are the gardener. May we allow you to prune us so that we will bear much fruit.
"Fruit that will last."
Jhn 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruitfruit that will last.
Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Allow God to prune you. Remember He disciplines those that He loves.
