Week Sixteen 01/29-02/02


Week Sixteen 01/29-02/02
John 15:5 “I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

This week the Lord has been teaching me what it means to abide in Him. To abide is to remain. By abiding in Christ, I am able to be an extension of love to those who have yet to know Him. I am His branch, a part of Him who is a resource for the blessing of those who are around me. By abiding in Christ I’m able to bear the fruits of the spirit, which are all encompassed in love. The fruit that a believer produces is an indication of whether or not he is actually serious in his relationship with Jesus. It’s sobering to know that I can’t do anything without Christ because I wouldn’t want to. I wouldn’t want to be going into the kid’s programs in my own strength and wisdom, not seeking the Lord. I wouldn’t want to teach in New Life School and hope to see improvement in behavior and academics, without asking the Lord for those things. Honestly, I could go into these environments in my own flesh, but I would not see any fruit from it. That’s the reality; apart from Christ we are nothing and can do nothing. Reading in 1 John this week as well, I came across verse 6 of chapter 3 that says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” In my pursuit of holiness and sanctification, the Lord has been reminding me to walk just as Christ did. Not that I really know how, but that is what I’m learning. To always be mindful of my heart and mind in everything I do. The only way I can be an extension of Christ to the unreached world is by abiding and that means seeking to walk as He walked, loving as He loved, being available at all times, and never ceasing to be in communion with the Father.

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