John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but to steal and to kill, and to destroy.  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)

Sherri has been tearing down vines from the trees and off some of the brick and stone walls on structures where we live.  Those vines have actually choked off the life in some trees and are killing them.  Walls and foundations are at risk of crumbling.

When Sherri does something, it is rarely half way.  Whether or not you agree with what she happens to be doing at the time, she goes out and does things like the Lord told her to do it.  So she has been tearing down these vines and poison ivy like a Blues Brother.  (She is on a Mission from God).

My next to youngest daughter said to me, “Mom seems to think that vines are bad, but didn’t Jesus say that He is the vine?”

This is a good point.  John Chapter 15 is where we get the reference that Jesus is the vine.  The chapter begins by Jesus saying, “I am the TRUE vine.”  I looked it up in thirty-two different translations of the Bible.  Every translation says “true vine” (except the Good News and The Message and they both say the “real vine”).

If Jesus said that He is the true vine that would seem to indicate that there is another kind of vine.  How do we tell what is Jesus in our life and what is not?  We encounter all kinds of things in this world.  Some twist and twine themselves into our lives.  If we are not careful we can have the life choked out of us or our sound foundations attacked, cracked, or broken.  Just like these vines that Sherri is tearing down.

If the things in our lives do not bring life, but rather, kill, steal, or destroy, good chance they are not a working from God.  Jesus told us that if branches abide in the “true vine,” they should bear good fruit.

Digging deeper, I discovered that ivy vines don’t normally destroy rock or brick.  However, if there is a crack or crevice or other opening, they can play havoc on a structure.

I think it’s time to check my foundation and make sure that I have dealt with the cracks and crevices in my life; take a good solid look at the vines that are growing.  If there isn’t good fruit, it may well be time for some pruning.