TeaTime Devotional October 16th, 2025

Written By:  Nancy Jordan

Tagged to the True Vine

Scripture: John 15:5 KJV

"I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Testify:

Have you ever been in a situation where you know it's not good? I can remember, as a young adult home for the summer from college, on the weekends I would hang out with friends. However, the expectation was that I had to be home at a reasonable hour, because in my household, going to church wasn't an option. I typically hung out with friends I grew up with in church; for the most part, I never got into any trouble. But there were two separate incidents in which I decided to venture out and be with a different circle of friends I thought were much cooler than my normal crew. On both occasions, I had to pay the consequences of failing to adhere to my mother’s rules of the house. After the second time of getting into trouble, I made a conscious decision not to hang out with that crew anymore, but to continue hanging out with my friends from church and keeping that positive connection.

Edify:

John 15:5 teaches us that Jesus is the source of spiritual life and strength for believers who are connected to Him. For us, as believers, to bear spiritual fruit—which is good works and Christ-like character—we must abide and remain in Him. To abide means that we must continue to keep and maintain that continuous, intimate relationship with Christ. When we abide in our Heavenly Father, trusting in His provision, obeying His words, and making Him a priority in our lives, we have to stay actively connected to bear the spiritual fruit the scripture is referring to.

Apply:

In our daily walk with Christ, we have to always be "tagged" into His word and stay connected to the True Vine, because that is the only way we will grow spiritually. Temptation will come your way and appear to be cool, like the crew I ventured off with. But just like I had to pay the consequences, we as believers—if we detach and un-tag ourselves from Christ—have eliminated our spiritual growth. But isn't it good to know that God is a God of a second chance and more? He allows us the opportunity to "tag" back into His circle and connect with Him. Then, once you are connected, you see yourself blossoming out and flourishing into the child of God He has called us to be. Stay connected and "tagged" to the True Vine.