Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness –
Luke 4:1
A vinedresser plants and tends his vines so that they can produce good grapes. God, as our vinedresser, encourages us to bear spiritual fruit. He wants us to have a character like Christ’s, marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God wants to ensure that His children will be fruitful. For this reason, He removes every dead and unproductive twig and leaf from their lives so that they can truly bear fruit that befits their nature and purpose.Luke 4:1
After His baptism, Jesus was “filled with the Holy Spirit,” who led Him to the next step. Christ’s life and ministry were the result of the Spirit’s empowerment, and when we become believers, God sends the very same Helper to indwell us. In the language of vineyards, the sap from the vine flows into a grafted branch, giving it life and the capacity to grow the kind of fruit typical of that plant. The branch and the vine become one life.
Some people run away from the Christian life because they think it is too much of a tough life for any person to live. And they’re right: They cannot live the Christian life by themselves, but the Holy Spirit can help. When we are one with Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God lives His life through us. That doesn’t mean we are free from responsibility – the Spirit can do His work only as we wisely choose to yield to Him. When we are obediently following the Lord, our joy and peace are not dependent upon circumstances; the One in whom we are rooted is our joy and peace.
