Connnected to the Vine

In our first months and years after Salvation, we attempt to please God. I made a list of all the commandments in the Bible. No really, I did! I posted the list so I could read them and keep these laws every day. I wanted to earn God's love. About ten years later, a Christian brother shared the truth with me that we do not need to earn God's love, because it is a free gift (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).

He explained that God did not want an army of robots, but a Body of Believers who trusted in Him explicitly with every area of their life. About this same time, a saying became very popular, "Let go and let God." This mantra encourages us to relinquish control of our life and to turn everything over to God (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When we stop molding our self, we give Christ room to shape us into His image  (2 Corinthians 3:18). This allows Him to reach everyone in our sphere of influence. He gives us His heart and He loves and serves others through us. We no longer live for our self, but Christ lives in and through us by His Spirit (Galatians 2:20). He is the Vine and we are the branches.

Branches do not produce any fruit; the Vine produces the fruit through each branch (John 15:4-5). In the same way, we do not accomplish great feats for God; He accomplishes His will through us (Ephesians 2:10). God fills us with His Spirit and we go where He wants us to go and do what He calls us to do. Our only effort is to surrender to the leading of God's Spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, through our connection to the Vine of Christ, You fill us with the fruit of Your Spirit. You justify us by our faith in Your faithfulness, and You flood our heart and mind with Your peace (Romans 5:1; Philippians 4:7). When this world frightens and discourages us, You flood our heart with Your peace, as we keep our focus on You, rather than on what occurs around us (Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27).

Thought for the Day:

In this modern day of technology, we can easily blog and use social media opportunities to share the gospel of Christ throughout the entire world. - Mark 16:15

Create your own blog and spread God's Word:

https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/1623800?hl=en

God's Glory Revealed

 

 

The Apostle Paul taught us that even though we suffer in our life, the suffering is nothing when compared to the glory, which God is revealing in our life through them (Romans 8:18). Each trial has a specific purpose, a lesson for us to discover. We may learn to forgive, to use patience, to love the unlovely or to walk in peace through the tribulation. Each test is an opportunity for the character of Christ to manifest in and through us.

The more we abide in the Vine of Christ, the more fruit we bear (John 15:5). The nourishment of God’s Spirit flows through the Vine and into each one of us. We are firmly grafted and rooted in Him, with all the spiritual fruit of the Spirit and the Divine nature of Christ dwelling within us (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:4). At times, we go through the same type of suffering more than once, in order to fully imbed that Godly trait in our character.

As we fully abide in Christ our love, witnessing, forgiveness and life imitate His (John 15:9-12). He manifests Himself through us in all of His glory as we walk in obedience to the guidance of His Spirit within us. God’s Spirit transforms us by His fruit into a replica of Christ Himself (2 Corinthians 3:18). His Divine nature manifests in and through our spirit.

If we say we do not have a sinful nature, we deceive our self and make God out to be a liar (1 John 1:8, 10). However, God faithfully forgives us and delivers us from the desire to sin through Christ in us (1 John 1:9). No one who says they live in Christ can continue to sin. If they do keep sinning, Christ does not live in them (1 John 3:9). If the root of the Vine is holy, so are the branches (Romans 11:16). In time, God’s holiness totally manifests through us.

As this occurs, we start to consider others better than our self, because He first loved us (Philippians 2:3; 1 John 4:19). We love as Jesus loved, not caring about a place to sleep (Luke 9:58) or money in the bank, but only about ministering to those at home, work, church and community that He directs us to help. We abide in Christ because He abides in us (John 15:4). In Him, there is no sin, and when we abide in Him, we live in holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as we live each moment of our day in unbroken fellowship with You, You replace our carnal nature with Your nature, and then sin does not dominate us (Romans 6:14). Teach us to love sacrificially as You did; but only as Your Spirit leads, and not by our codependent enabling or rescuing. We tend to wear our self out in caring for others; but remind us to live according to Your example, and to take time to get away and to rest in You.

Thought for the Day:

God does not remove our carnal nature, but He does replace each sinful tendency with the fruit of His Spirit through the things that we suffer. - Hebrews 5:8

Possessing Divine Power

 

Salvation provides our divine union, but the secret of receiving spiritual power, which is resident within us, is to surrender our all to Christ and to be still as we wait on God. The fact that we abide in Christ, and that He abides in us, is the impetus for our whole life of service to Him. This fact motivates us through His divine life within us, and humbles us to serve our Living King as Christ sanctifies us for Himself.

God wants nothing less than complete consecration of our life to Him by laying down our goals and dreams, and daily taking up His cross. We do this by submitting every talent and physical resource we posses to the direction of God’s Spirit. We also see the reality of our union with Christ as we read His Word, and this makes us desire more of God, to enter a deeper spiritual realm and to take full possession of the power of the divine Christ within us.

This is our joyous, high calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14), and causes disenchantment with our human existence. The fuel for our union with Christ is prayer. Prayer enables us to walk in spiritual harmony with Christ in us. It opens communication with our Father and allows His Spirit to lead us in obedience to God’s will for our life. Prayer also expresses the pleading of our heart for oneness with the triune Godhead.

Prayer articulates the yearning of our soul to grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). Daily, we confess our sins and ask for His absolution. This deeper union gives us more power in our prayers and ministry. We do not use prayer as a means to gain spiritual gifts for our self, but for the purpose of blessing the world around us. We enter the realm of effective, fervent prayer, which avails much (James 5:16).

If we dare to pray without first having this union with Christ, we end up spewing ineffectual words, which fall on deaf ears (John 9:31). However, as we abide in the Vine, the power of the Vine extends into us as His branches. We are one with the Father through the Son, hidden in God with Christ who is our life (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4). We ultimately reap the rewards of our patient vigil of waiting on God’s will.

Prayer:

Father God, You answer our questions and provide for our needs as we spend time with You in prayer (Matthew 6:33). You make us one with Your Son by Your Spirit. We abide in Him and He abides in You, so that we can also flourish in our union with You (John 17:21). Teach us to pray according to Your will, so that we can ask for what we need in order to do Your work on this earth, and it shall be done for us (John 15:7).

Thought for the Day:

Attentive prayer is our greatest means of abiding more closely to our Maker’s heart.

 

Liberating Truth

 

Jesus is more than just the Vine on which we flourish. He is also our Son Light and Life (John 1:4). The fruit of His Spirit springs forth from the branch of our life, because His life flows through us. Think about this for a moment. Do not read over it and then forget what you saw. We are nothing without the Vine. Christ works in and through us. His life flows through us and feeds the world with His fruit in our life. It is our privilege to be so united with our risen Lord.

This union allows us to shrug off the anxious thought, the carnal impulse and the dread of the future. His love reveals to us the lies, which Satan convinced us to believe. God’s Spirit takes us back to the experience in our life where Satan planted the falsehood. His Spirit then reveals His truth and sets us free from living from the premise of these lies. Our life changes radically when God shows us that we are more than conquerors because He loves us (Romans 8:31-39).

God’s peace reigns in our soul, if we just allow it entrance. It takes a change in our focus from believing Satan’s lies to believing God’s Truth. Once we recognize our union with Christ, we can go to the ends of the earth at God’s command. We live in contentment and joy regardless of our circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13). His goodness and mercy envelop us each and every day of our life (Psalm 23:6). His joy in us gives us His strength to meet any trial life has to offer.

When we change our focus from the negative aspects of our life to the joys of His life in us, then we face any obstacle with His confidence and hope. When we focus on the reality that our humanity is crucified with Christ, we also realize that we no longer live, but we are raised with Christ who lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20). We live by the faith, which comes from the Son of God, and we relish His love and sacrifice for us. This allows us to live in total surrender to His will.

We live in service to our King at home, at work, at church and in our community. We listen to His Spirit’s direction and we walk according to God’s Spirit, not according to our flesh or our human desires and goals. We live in the consciousness of His presence and we abide in His love and life throughout the day and night. We look for opportunities to allow His life to flow through us and to touch the lives around us. An encouraging word, compassion and grace, a kind smile, and the shared truth of His Gospel will set lives free.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, You dearly love us and desire an eternity of intimate fellowship with each one of us. What an awesome privilege You give to us! You are our God of great comfort, and You sustain us and prepare us for the spiritual battles we experience. In this corrupt and unjust world, You give us wisdom and comfort. You prepare us to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). We trust You now more than ever. You equip us for the work that you called us to do (Ephesians 2:10). We love and worship You all the days of our life.

Thought for the Day:

Every person sins and we all miss the mark; however, we are all justified by His grace because of the redemption provided for us by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. – Romans 3:23-24

 

There is More to Salvation

There is more to salvation than escaping hell. Salvation and happiness in this world are not our ultimate goals either. God’s salvation enables us to flourish in our victory over sin and to live in absolute obedience to His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. In order to fully succeed in life, we daily repent of our sins and submit our life to God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we abide in Christ we grow in our ability to hear His Spirit leading us each moment of the day.

Abiding in Christ, we also bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters, and we share a passion for souls to come to Calvary’s cross and to repent, just as we did. Christ in us gives us the courage and strength to share His love with the unsaved world, in spite of any difficulties along the way. We love each person with God’s agape love, regardless of his or her behavior. We are able to impart His life to others as they open their hearts to His Word.

We cannot live without the Vine. The vine cannot bear fruit by itself. It needs branches in order to bear its fruit. The Master Gardener prunes us as a branch of the eternal Vine; and we bear much fruit that blesses others when they feast from it. As we abide in Christ, completely and fully, we bear the fruit of His Spirit, which is the nature of God.

We bear His love for the world, His joy which is our strength, His peace in our circumstances, His patience in tribulation, His gentleness toward irritating people, His goodness in the face of adversity, His meek in submission to our superiors, His self-control in temptation and His faith in God’s faithfulness.

As we submit our life to Christ, we admit our weakness and find His power in place of our strength. We are mighty instruments in the hand of the Father, because His Spirit dwells within us. His strength is perfected in our weakness as we fully admit our need for all of Him in our life. Then we can rest assured that He is working through us, according to His purpose, timing and way. As we lift Him up, Jesus uses us to draw all men to Himself, giving them the opportunity to accept or to reject Him.

The key to abiding in Christ is the realization that we are empty of all ambition and abilities, but that He fills us with all the fullness of His divine power and spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). We live in childlike faith in His faithfulness. We walk in confidence that God is using our body, soul and spirit for His Kingdom and glory. We do greater works than Christ (John 14:12), because He dwells in us by His Spirit. His Spirit within us draws all men to Him.

Prayer:

Father God, our humility comes from realizing that without You, we can do nothing; and that in You, Christ can do all things through us (Philippians 4:13). Help us to walk in Your Spirit, to influence those in our life for You, and to walk in the calling that You prepared for us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:8-10). Let others see our resemblance to the Vine, as a branch full of Your Spirit’s fruit.

Thought for the Day:

May we live so that the holiness and love of God within us shines His light into the darkness of the world around us.

Centered Focus

 

Salvation comes in stages. If we happily camp around the salvation of our spirit, we miss the glory of the redemption of our soul. One day we will also experience the glorification of our body when Christ appears for His Saints (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Once we realize that the divinity of Christ and all of the power of the complete triune Godhead live within every Born Again Believer, a new enthusiasm produces constant praise from our lips to God’s ears (2 Peter 1:3). We no longer view our self as a grubby worm inching around in the world of selfishness and sin.

Instead, we see our self as beautiful butterflies soaring in the Heavenly, spiritual realm of life. God calls His elect and then reveals Himself in us. He has a purpose for each of our lives (Ephesians 1:11). He loves us with His abundant, ageless and everlasting love (Psalm 25:6; Jeremiah 31:3). We are totally dependent upon Jesus for our direction, health and provision moment by moment throughout the day (Ephesians 1:9; Philippians 2:12-13). Through our connection to the Vine, the life of Christ flows through us by His Spirit and we produce much fruit for the Kingdom of God (John 15:8).

Through our union with Christ, we shed the shackles of our sin nature and submit to the dealings and leadings of God in our life (1 Corinthians 1:30). As branches in the Vine of Christ, we experience God as our husbandman. He prunes the flesh from us so more spiritual fruit grows (John 15:1, 5). We walk out of the bondage to carnality and into the glorious freedom of the sons of God (Romans 8:21). Jesus is our center and God is the focus of our life. We seek to do His will in our job, community, church, extended family and home. If we walk in the darkness of self and sin, we stumble and fail in our attempts (John 11:10).

As we walk in the light of Christ, we find fulfillment in living out His will for our life (1 John 1:7). God’s wisdom, grace, love and supernatural abilities reside within us in Jesus Christ and are always available to meet all of our needs (1 Corinthians 1:30). As we make every effort to walk in peace with God, He renews our soul and makes us blameless and spotless at His coming (2 Peter 3:14). Our perseverance in our walk with God, guarantees that we will not stop short of His glorious riches, which He prepared for us before time began (Romans 9:23). We will steadily walk into complete maturity in Christ (James 1:4).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as we abide in You throughout the day, Your wisdom, grace, love and peace manifest in our life and out into the world around us. As we abide in You, You provide us with a dedicated life full of the wisdom, strength and Godly conviction, which we need to further Your Kingdom in our world. We look forward to the day when we can also walk in Your power, so You can make a true difference in others through our life.

Thought for the Day:

Undistracted devotion to God allows us to tap into all of His power and majesty in order to live our life as Elijah, Moses and Enoch did.

Get Off the Fence

 

There is a popular saying that runs the gamut of Christian circles in every century of time. It claims that we do not want to be “so spiritually minded that we are no earthly good”. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Look at Noah...He preached for 120 years and he and his sons spent much of that time building an ark big enough to protect anyone who wanted to be saved. However, since it had never rained before this time, people scoffed at them as if they were so spiritually minded they were no earthly good. Well, who had the last laugh in that scenario?

Many wanted to get aboard the ark after it started raining, but it was too late. God already closed the door (Genesis 7:16). Many who claim the name of Christ in their life are oblivious to the destruction they inflict upon the Kingdom of God by their words and actions (Matthew 7:16-23). A shallow consent to accept Christ brings no real change to our life and requires no surrender for the glory of God. Authentic Christians can never be content with participating in ritualistic, religious motions. We seek relevance in every aspect of our life.

If something is not Christ-centered, we have no interest in it. Our spirit, and also our soul are grieved by anything that grieves Christ, because He dwells within us in all of His fullness. We refrain from participating in anything that is remotely sinful. We exhibit the fruit of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), which is the result of the refining fire of His sanctifying process in our life. We no longer live in the fleshly, carnal, worldly realm of life. If we do, we do not belong to Christ (1 John 3:9).

The Bible declares that if anyone claims to be a Christian, yet lives a worldly life, they are liars (Romans 8:9; 1 John 2:4). You might believe in God. You may have been convicted of your sin. You may like going to church and listening to religious music. However, you are not Born Again. Even demons believe and tremble at the name of Christ (James 2:19). If we are Born Again, we live by the Spirit of God in everything we think, say and do (Romans 8:9).  There is continual intimacy with the living Lord and growth in our character and actions, which are led by His Spirit.

Salvation is not an end in itself. It is the beginning of a whole new life (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is useless to attempt to become a better human being. Self-help methods will never allow us to exchange our carnality with the fruit of God’s Spirit. We are simply the branches. He is the Vine, which connects us to the life-giving flow of God’s supernatural power to enhance our life. Our humanity is already dead with Christ in God. God is love and if He abides in us completely, we have no need to strive to show love to others. His love fills us and overflows into the lives of everyone we meet.

Christ in us expresses the fruit of the Spirit in and through us. We are a vessel containing the living Lord of the universe with all the dynamic power of the triune God resident within us (Ephesians 3:20). We are no longer in love with our self. We are no longer addicted to sin and we lay down our idols – anything, which we want more than God. We submit to the total control of the Spirit of God. We get our self off the throne of our life and put God in His rightful place.

So, this is the bottom line: Get off the fence! Commit your life wholly and completely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Make a difference in His Kingdom by following the leading of His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. Fall in love with Jesus. Living in the center of God’s will is the happiest place on earth.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, the only person that may call him/her self a Christian is one with a vital and vibrant intimate union with You. If we live according to our own plans for the day and work You into them, we gravely miss every opportunity to allow You to work Your plans through us. Remind us to converse with You moment by moment throughout the day. You orchestrate the adventures in our life to fulfill Your purpose in us. We hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with You, so that we may walk in the fullness of Your Spirit and allow You to accomplish Your will in and through us.

Thought for the Day:

Total submission to the control of Christ in our daily life is the next step after our salvation. Has that happened in your life? – 1 Corinthians 15:22-28