Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing (John 15:1-8)
Christ the True Vine
1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Apart from Christ we can do nothing. How true this Scripture rings in my spirit as I meditate upon it. Throughout my life, I have witnessed the miracles of God. His love and power never cease to amaze me. Miracles don't happen by chance, miracles happen because we abide in the Miracle Worker. Intimacy is the birthplace of miracles. When we are not close to Him, we tend to do things in our own strength and power. We can do work for God in our own strength, our own power, intellect and ability. But if we only do things for Him, not with Him, what we do is in vain. The more I minister in Hollywood/Los Angeles Ca, the more I realize each day how much I need Him daily in my life to fill me, empower me and give me the grace needed to face this dark dark land. I can't face the day, without spending time in His presence. I'm not talking about 10 minutes with Him, I'm talking about "adequate time" in His presence. Personally, I need at least an hour of just being silent before Him in prayer and meditation. We must daily wait upon the Lord and rest in His presence till we are filled with His tangible joy and then be ready to face the day. If we do not spend time with Him, we can do nothing for Him. I've made many mistakes in the past by becoming too busy for God. The moment I became too busy for time in prayer with God, it was in those seasons of life that I lost track of myself and my purpose. I began to take things into my own hands and the results were frustration, fatigue and fruit-lessness. Yet, if we abide in Him and He in us, the result will be fruit-fullness. Ministry will be easy, life will flow and His presence will be our complete joy satisfying our every need. We will not be in want, but content in Him.
I want to be the branch that bears fruit. Even if He prunes me. Discipline does not feel good at the moment, it can be harsh and even painful. These are the life lessons God brings into our life to humble us and make us more like Him. So this is why I welcome the discipline of God, for without it, I would be like a spoiled child gone astray and doing things on my own. I don't want to do things alone, I want to do things with my heavenly Father. Prune me Oh Lord, even if it hurts, don't let me have my way, but let only Your way be done in me and all of us. Show us Your great love for us this day! In Jesus name Amen
posted by Jaeson Ma @
6/19/2008 03:53:00 PM
4 Comments:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Matthew 22:37
They devoted themselves to the apostles,teaching and to the fellowship,to the breaking of bread and to prayer.everyone was filled with awe,and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.All the believers were together and had everything in common.Selling their possessions and goods,they gave to anyone as he had need.Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47
Bless you.
hello ps.jaeson
once again....i just read across these few verses this morning...
so touch by your sharing
i still figuring the meaning of it...
'we tend to do things in our own strength and power'
how is it that we do thing not with our strength??
because some of my friend said i do things on my strength...
i don't understand...
em, ya...somehow i am struggling with spending time with god...
with the limited time...with the busy university life...
i tend to go far from god when i am busy with the homework...because i cant even do well in my study...feeling not confident if i spend more time in reading god's word and prayer...
but it is true, we cannot do anything if not because of the grace of god...
god is near....
best wish :)
Good word Jaeson! I hope you're having a GREAT summer thus far. We're aiming for the launch of THE CIRCUIT RIDERS here in Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland this upcoming October. Exciting stuff!
Ps. Jaeson,
Thanks for sharing... especially for my birthday - June 19 ^^
...these verses really a reminder for me to draw close to the Father in every moment, and lean not on my own strength or understanding... to walk in His will & not my will...
May God anoint you double portion this year ahead! Amen!
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