What the heck is an aspiring grape?

You may wonder what "Life In the Vine" or "an Aspiring Grape" really means. Let me start with a little history. I happen to have the privilege of sitting under excellent teaching at my church each week. My pastor is very gifted in the way that he communicates. He will often say, "The ground is level at the foot of the cross." This makes the ground feel quite level in our Worship Center as a result. Thoughts and Scripture are conveyed clearly and effectively without judgement or apprehension. With confidence and boldness, we approach the throne of grace each week to learn more about this great God that we cannot fathom.


One of the more recent principles proposed to our church family has been the concept of becoming a grape versus remaining a marble. Within the body of Christ, we seem to have both. Marbles are wonderful, smooth, shiney, colorful objects, but they have no potency, they are cold, hard and they have no attributes that can mix with any of the grapes; at the core, they are really nothing. A grape, over time, becomes very soft, somewhat pliable, the inside begins to come out and mixes with the contents from within the other grapes. A grape gives off a strong scent after a while, which tells everyone exactly what it is and possibly even where it came from before they are able to see it.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples (or grapes!), if you love one another.”- John 13:34-35 We as Christians can be hard and cold, or soft and potent. That is the choice. You must select which it will be for it can never be both. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." - Matthew 6:23-25 It is a matter of deciding who you want to be as you grow up in Christ. Even though we are described as being "branches" in the Bible, we have clear direction as to the nature of the fruit we bare. Is your fruit spoiled? Time to take up that cross! Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - Matthew 16:23-25

I recently was involved in an auto accident. You would be surprised at how much you actually think about as you are waiting for a Ford F-150 to plow into your '87 Escort. How cool (and surreal) to be able to say, "I didn't think I would die this way, Lord, but I'm okay with it. I'm ready," and to actually be confident and at peace in this realization. I had a brief hospital stay and was ecstatic when my pastor visited me. He refers to himself as "too little butter over too much bread." In the midst of his crises with church business ordeals, family life, quiet time with the Lord and just trying to find five minutes to brush his teeth, he still made this time for me. He reminded me that when you are faced with life's challenges, it is the grapes that come forth....not the marbles. It is the grapes who call you to see how you are doing, who visit you, who send you cards, who pray for you.....they do it all. The juices begin to mingle and flow and you realize that the grapes are a full service operation. I want to be a grape! The grapes remind us of the vine (Christ). Sending His Son to die in my place, only to repeatedly redeem, protect and restore me again and again, Christ is a full service operation; why would He even care about me after His initial sacrifice? I cannot possibly scratch the surface of grateful. I am reminded of a song with the following lyrics, "You [Christ] saved me once, You save me still." He still works. There is a vast difference between believing and knowing something. I know that my Redeemer lives because He's still working on this grape!

"Oh, Draw Me, Lord"
- Selah