I am the vine and you are the branches

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3  You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. 10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12    "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13  Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14  You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,  for the servant  does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 This I command you, to love one another.

In Matthew 15: 1-17 we read the story of the vine and the branches. The obvious message of course is that we need to be connected to Jesus to bear fruit. But it also tells us what will happen if we are not connected. We will wither and be thrown into the fire and burned.  It also tells us that we will bear much fruit when we are connected to Jesus.  But what does it mean to wither?


As Christians we are called to a life of service to those around us.  This life of service is called ministry.  All to often ministers of the Gospel, both ordained and lay people start off to win the world for Christ.  But they do not actually connect with Christ, they try to pull the whole load themselves.  They tire, they get disappointed, they lose their taste for their work in Christ's vineyard and either do the minimum amount that they possibly could do, and do it without any passion or enthusiasm or even worse they leave the ministry all together.  This is what it means to whither.  We must connect with Jesus and then our ministry will eventually bring about what God intends it to bring.  There will still be long hours of labor and even doubts about what we are doing.  But we always must remember that if we are connected with Christ our ministry will flower and we have to remember that while we sow the seeds, God is in charge of making them grow and he will be in charge of the harvest.  
If we are faithful at the end of our life when we stand before our Lord we will hear those most precious words; 

"Well done good and faithful servant."