Entwined in the vine

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NASB).

It is not often that I write about a plant simply because the name is intriguing, but this will be one of those rare times.

A world class daylily hybridizer, Karol Emmerich of Springwood Gardens, has taken the opportunity to name her new introductions with phrases inspired by the Bible; and I was blessed to have seen and purchased one of these this year.

The large, stunning bloom is creamy pinkish peach, with curling petals tinged in vivid violet and pink color with a striking eye zone to match. The toothed edges are gilded with ivory gold. The center is sunny yellow, like a pure ray of sunshine. But the name is inspiring, too.

“Entwined In The Vine” is a reminder that our lives are not just influenced by our Lord Jesus Christ, but totally enveloped in it. It permeates our being and our actions, like the backward curving, pinched petals sometimes hug the flowers nearby. The greatest story ever told has commanded the attention of countless generations, like the toothed edges of this horticultural beauty grabs hold of stems growing in its vicinity.

Christianity is a very bad “hobby,” but it is the very best way of life. In fact, it is the only way of life, if you consider more than the handful of years that we have to spend on this earth.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’” (John 14:6).

If we are not totally entwined, or immersed in Jesus like our bodies are in true Bible baptism, we are just “putting our toes in the water” so to speak.

What does it mean to be entwined in the Vine? It means that when troubles come, we remember who we are, and whose we are. “You were bought with a price.”

In hard times, we go further into the will and the knowledge and the service of our Lord, instead of feeling like falling away from Him.

Maybe our discouragement stems from not being entwined enough in the one who called himself the Vine. Vines cling! Let us cling right back.

Christine (Tina) Berglund