The fruit of the vineyard is only borne in abundance on tender, fairly new growth. As the wood of a branch gets older, it tends to get harder. So even though a branch is living and is connected to the vine, it can become barren. Still leaving the branch connected to the vine, the gardener cuts back the old, hard wood, forcing it into new growth that will produce fruit instead of just more wood and leaves. In fact, there are times when he cuts the branch back so drastically all that is left of it is the connection to the vine.
Jesus described this drastic pruning in a believer’s life when He explained that the Gardener “cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.” There are times when God cuts everything out of our lives except our relationship with Jesus. He forces us to pay attention to our relationship with Him because that’s all we have. And in the process, our “connection” to the Vine is enlarged and fruit is produced.
God will never expect more from me than the Holy Spirit will do in and through me if I allow Him the freedom.
What a blessed relief to be reminded that God knows me. In fact, He knows me so well He understands that apart from Him I can do nothing.
I don’t have to prove myself to God.
I don’t have to worry about disappointing God.
I don’t have to earn His respect.
I don’t have to deserve His blessings.
I don’t have to work hard to be accepted.
I don’t have to produce a quota.
I don’t have to be successful.
He created me in the first place. “He knows how [I] am formed, he remembers that [I] am dust.” I am just a little dust person infused with the very breath of God!
The changes brought about by God’s Word in your life and mine are not primarily for the purpose of making us good or successful or happy or wealthy or prosperous or problem free. The primary purpose of these changes is that we might know God fully and intimately so we can reflect Him in all we are and say and do, bringing glory to the One Who created us.
Is your life complete? Do you feel you are waiting for something, but you don’t know what? Do you have an aching loneliness, a hunger pain of the spirit, a yearning deep inside yourself for something? For Someone? Then get in touch with your Creator. You are hungry for God. You were created with a capacity to know Him in a personal, permanent, love relationship. That capacity is empty until you establish the relationship with Him for which you were created.
What makes you and me think we can do without a personal prayer life? It’s through prayer that we come into a personal, intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.
Do you long to have a closer relationship with God, but you don’t feel worthy? Are you convinced you are a nobody and therefore would never be accepted, much less welcomed, into His presence?
Praise God! Our entrance into His presence is not based on our own worthiness but on the worthiness of Jesus Christ! When we enter God’s presence in Jesus’ name, we are as accepted by God as Jesus is, because God counts us as His own dear children!
Jesus invites you and me, in His name, to come into His Father’s presence through prayer, crawl up into His lap by faith, put our head on His shoulder of strength, feel His loving arms of protection around us, call Him “Abba” Daddy, and pour out our hearts to Him.
Every morning that I’m home, weather permitting, I walk with two friends for two and a half miles. We have to abide by two basic rules when we walk, or we can’t walk together. The first rule is that we must walk at the same pace. The second rule is that we must walk in the same direction. The same two rules apply when walking with God.
To walk at this pace means that we are living our lives in step-by-step obedience to His Word. To walk in the same direction means that we surrender the direction of our lives to Him. The only way we can know His pace and direction is to prayerfully read His Word.
What adjustments do you need to make so you can walk with God? Adjustments in your daily and weekly schedule? Adjustments in your attitude and ambition? Adjustments in your personal habits of prayer and Bible reading? Make sure you are not too busy for daily prayer and Bible reading or you will get out of step and lose your sense of direction.
