Today’s New Covenant nugget is from John 15:1 (TPT)
“I am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is My Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by LIFTING AND PROPPING UP the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest.
The King James translates this passage, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away”. The Greek word that the King James Bible translates as ‘takes away’ is ‘αἴρω’, or ‘aíro’… a better translation from the Greek is ‘to raise up, elevate, or to lift up’… The Father does not cut you off when you do not produce fruit, He lifts you up, so that you do not get contaminated while in a state of barrenness.
Check out the notes in the Passion Translation…
a. John 15:2 The Greek phrase can also be translated “He takes up [to himself] every fruitless branch.” He doesn’t remove these branches, but He takes them to Himself. As the wise and loving farmer, He lifts them up off the ground to enhance their growth.
b. John 15:2 The Greek word for “pruning,” kathairo, can also mean cleansing.
Psalm 145:14 (AMP) says, “The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who fall and raises up all those who are bowed down.”
The Father loves it when we are successful and is glorified when we bear an abundance of fruit (John 15:8), but He does not reject, or cut off, or punish us when we fail… He upholds us, supports us and supernaturally ‘props us up’ cleanses us, breathes life, healing and wholeness into us and enables us to be successful and to bear fruit.
Don’t beat yourself up when you fail… let the Father lift you! What does that look like? The Father ‘propping you up’ is a season of supernatural ‘manna’… water out of a rock, quail falling from the sky, a cloud by day and fire by night… when you bear fruit as a result of your connection with Jesus, most of the ‘propping up’ goes away.
In Joshua 5:11-12 it says, “They ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. THEN THE MANNA CEASED on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.”
When you fail, or do not produce fruit, the Father props you up and provides supernaturally from ABOVE, but better still, when you are whole and healed and vitally connected to Jesus, provision, success, prosperity and fruitfulness flow out of YOU… as you flow together with Jesus as His hand extended… miracles flow out of YOUR life for you and others… you move from supernaturally being sustained from above to supernatural blessings flowing forth from you… abundance for you as well as for others.
If you desire to move from the wilderness to the promised land… focus on your relationship with Jesus and receive His Word as medicine, power and supernaturally infused ability.
John 15:4-7 (TPT) – “You must remain in life-union with Me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine. I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with Me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless.”
Intimacy with Jesus and His Word is the key to New Covenant success and prosperity. As Joshua, a ‘type and shadow of Jesus’ took Israel as ‘dependents’, from the life of manna and quail to a life of prosperity and provision as ‘providers’, so Jesus and His Word will take you to a place where His riches will flow into you and out of you like a river.
Blessings on you, Nick
