You Have Been Lifted Up

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He lifts up (cuts off) every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:1-2

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap
Psalm 113:7

Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. Judges 5:3

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27

One time I heard a teaching on the vine and the branches. The speaker said that there was actually more than one way that John 15:2 could be translated. He said that some branches grow too low on the ground and get dirty. So the vine dresser lifts them and ties them up. Then he washes them so that they can be healthy and produce. This really spoke to me and I have utilized this translation ever since.

This morning, God showed me a picture of us as that vine that has been lifted up. I see us straining to get back in the dust because this is what we are used to. God is saying that we no longer live in the dust. It is not our identity. We are lifted up among the healthy, fruit bearing branches. We are to know our dignity.

He wants to give us a new identity. We are to have the identity of one who has been raised up. We are not the one who is diseased, fruitless and living in the dust. We are clean and lifted up. The gardener is pleased with us.