John 15:4-8
Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My husband planted beautiful pink “knock-out” roses in our front yard. While my grandmother was in the hospital, we clipped several blooms and shared them with her. She loved how they made her room a little more cheerful and fragranced the room. But after a couple of days, they began to wither and fade – even standing in a container of water. Apart from the bush where they grew, they could not sustain life and vitality.
We are like this in our walk with God. We may look and smell pretty good for a day or two, but we can’t last very long on our own. We lack the sustenance that fed us and gave us strength, courage, wisdom, and grace. And sooner or later, we will fall flat on our faces.
If you pull up a rose bush filled with blooms, it might continue to look pretty good for a day or two. But eventually, it would wither and die. The bush would still be a rose bush… but its former luster and purpose would be gone. The same can be said for our Christian faith walk. Separated from God, we are still Christians… but we lose our mission and purpose. We become lethargic and ineffective… and often we make costly mistakes.
Don’t let this be said of you. Stay connected to God. Communicate with Him… study His word… listen for His voice. Fellowship with others who are connected to God, and let Him speak to you through their friendship and counsel.
When it comes to the life of a Christian, independence is highly over-rated! Let God feed you and nurture you… and enable you to produce good fruit. Bloom for Him like a “knock-out” rose. Bask in His grace and sustenance. Boldly live in the confidence of God’s constant care… and never wither and fade.
©2012 Debbie Robus
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