"I am the Vine......"

"I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is who bears much fruit for apart from Me you can do nothing."-John 15:5 (ESV).
BFF Pat gave me a lovely book a while ago titled In My Father's Vineyard by Wayne Jacobsen. Mr. Jacobsen was raised on a small vineyard in California and he does a masterful job in his book of comparing his father's vineyard to his Father's vineyard. This morning the words speak to my situation......(and am I surprised?).
In his perfect phraseology Mr. Jacobsen describes the interdependence of the branch and the grapevine itself. The two are linked, grafted to each other. The branch doesn't just hang out in close proximity to the vine; it's firmly attached to it.
What a great picture of myself as I enjoy the nourishment of the Vine to which I am attached and without Whom I would be withering and dying on this journey. I can count on the everlasting promise that the life-giving nourishment of the Vine will never dry up. It's a "lifetime adventure", as Jacobsen so aptly puts it.
The author contrasts the truths stated above with the reality of the world I live in; the world that tells me that if I want anything in this life it's up to me to go out there and get it on my own. I need to work hard, hard, hard to achieve my desires. But I have learned, thankfully, that as I live in God's vineyard I am in tune with the Master Gardener and all I need to do is "embrace that friendship and not run off at every distraction or be pulled away by every temptation". (Jacobsen).
Sure, living in the vineyard involves getting some dirt under my fingernails, but it's the turning over of my soil that exposes it to the sunlight and makes it fertile. ("Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil and let us see what we're made of."-Charles Spurgeon, from a previous post.)
Wow.....what an encouraging morning of reading! My thanks go out to Wayne Jacobsen, wherever he may be. I know he's in his Father's vineyard somewhere😊

"I love Thee
For giving me clusters of grapes
In the wilderness,
And drops of heavenly wine
That set me longing to have my fill.
Apart from Thee I quickly die,
Bereft of Thee I thirst and droop;
But Thou art all I need.
Let me continually grasp the promise,
'I will never leave thee or forsake thee.'"-The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

On the health front:
A pesky little health situation which will remain nameless may require a trip to the nearby clinic this morning for resolution. We'll see what the oncologist's office recommends.
Aside from that, all is well.