V is for Vine

In John 15:1, Jesus says of Himself, "I am the Vine". The vine of the grape is the trunk that brings sap up from the roots into the branches. The sap must be allowed to flow freely into the branch in order to produce fruit. The vine gives its life to the branch by the branch staying attached to the vine.
A good crop of grapes does not just happen. A good vineyard has a dedicated "vinedresser" whom in the case of a child of God, is God the Father. Each branch is important to the vinedresser, to bring forth the finest crop possible.

If a branch is left to itself it straggles over rocks and handy tree trunks. Or it may fall to the ground and creep along in the dirt and mud. The vinedresser will come along, clean off the branch, prune it where needed, and tie it close to the vine. Soon the branch is thriving again. The branch must remain totally dependent on the vine, close to it, pruned here, pruned there, in order to bring forth much fruit.

Jesus said He is the true Vine. His followers, me included, are the branches. We are created for a living relationship with the Vine, (Jesus), and the Vine, (Jesus), gives His life to the branch.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit."

John 15:1-2, 5,8

U is for 'Unspeakable Gift'

The word ‘unspeakable’ does not mean to not talk about something, but that that something is so wonderful, there are no words to explain it. God’s special gift to us is ‘unspeakable’; it is amazing; it is beyond our comprehension. This gift is Jesus, all wrapped up in love.

God’s ‘unspeakable’ gift to us was His Son, Jesus. Of Himself, Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water." (John 4:10)

Because of God’s wonderful gift, we can have other gifts such as a ‘gift of a relationship with God’. John 1:12 states that all who receive Him, those who believe in His name, He gives the right to be called the sons and daughters of God.

He also gives the ‘gift of His Grace’. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by Grace you have been saved…" We have received the ‘gift of Eternal Life’, as according to Romans 6:23 "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

One reason I think of God’s gift as being unspeakable, and perhaps part of Paul’s thinking in II Corinthians 9:15, is that it is greater than we can grasp with our finite minds. Jesus was God, 2^nd person in the Trinity, totally God. Yet in order to become the propitiation for man’s sin, He had to take on a human body. In doing so He had to become a human being. Now we have something beyond our imagination, something incredible, beyond words, unspeakable. He was still God, just as though He had never been man; yet He was man as though He had never been God.

And He did this as a gift to each of us. "For God so loved the world that He gave (this Unspeakable Gift) His only begotten son, that whosoever believes on Him will have eternal life." (John 3:16)

So accept His ‘Unspeakable Gift’. He paid the price so that all you have to do is take the gift He offers.  Jesus is the Unspeakable Gift!!

T is for Teacher

In New Testament times, the role of the teacher was well defined. Jesus role was that of what was called in the Greek, "didaskalos", meaning ‘teacher’ or master, and it fell within the parameters of the Rabbi.    In Matthew 5:1 and Luke 5:3 it mentions that Jesus ‘sat’ while He taught. This was the way the contemporary teachers of that day did their teaching and He often appeared at the synagogues where He would do His teaching.

The disciples are compared to students, and they often referred to Jesus as ‘Master’ or ‘Teacher’. When Jesus appeared to Mary in the garden after His resurrection, she called Him "Rabboni", which is a form of ‘Rabbi’ meaning ‘teacher.

Jesus as a teacher, was to bring man closer to the kingdom of God. He was the ‘ultimate’ of teachers, since He was personally One with God. In His words: "I and my Father are one." (John 10:13)

Jesus is our "Rabboni", our "Master", and our "Teacher". Yet He is a humble teacher. In John 13:13 he washed the disciples feet and said "You call Me the Teacher (Master) and the Lord, and you are right in doing so…(vs.14) If I then have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet…" He taught by example.
                                                          He was the ‘ultimate’ Teacher.

Even after Jesus had returned to Heaven, His instruction was the basis of the teaching in the epistles and the rest of the New Testament. The role of teaching, even today, is a gift given by the Holy Spirit and this teaching and preaching is all based on the instruction of Jesus and the witness of His resurrection.
                                                          He was the ‘ultimate’ Teacher.

Jesus, the Teacher, gave this command to His disciples is Matthew 28: 19,20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. 

                                                    He is our awesome, ‘ultimate’ Teacher.

S is for Shepherd

To think of Jesus as our Shepherd is one of the most tender images given to us. Our Lord compares Himself to a Shepherd all throughout the Scriptures. This reminds us of our dependency on Him, as well as His watchful, protecting care.

Shepherding was a very important occupation in ancient Palestine, so the people of that day understood the metaphors of sheep and shepherd. A shepherd is responsible for the physical survival and well being of the flock, and sheep are known to be an animal totally dependent on the shepherd. The shepherd is the one to find them pastures, and it is said they need to have still waters, so the shepherd also finds them quiet streams or watering holes. David, having been a shepherd knew this when he wrote Psalm 23:3: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters.”

Without a shepherd to carefully watch over the flock, the sheep scatter and become easy prey for wild animals and thieves. A good shepherd will defend his flock with his own life. In John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

The shepherd’s life was a nomad’s life, and he spent many lonely hours entertaining himself by talking to his sheep. In this way the sheep came to know the shepherd’s voice. Therefore when the sheep mixed with other flocks, such as at the watering holes, they had no difficulty separating the animals, for each animal knew its shepherd’s voice. In John 10:4 Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.”

The shepherd counted his sheep each morning and evening and would call each one by name. In John 10:3 it states: “…and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.”

“He tends his flock like a shepherd
He gathers the lambs in his arms
And carries them close to his heart;
He gently leads those that have young.”
                            ……Isaiah 40:11

My prayer: Gentle Shepherd, with you as my Shepherd, I shall not want for any good thing. You lead me in pastures green, and you restore my soul. Help me to listen for your voice, and follow you all the days of my life. And when I reach the end of my way on earth, you will go with me through the valley of the shadow of death, and receive me to yourself in Glory. You are my Shepherd-King, and I praise you! Amen