I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4 NLT) Remain in me - attempting to live life apart from deep, personal connection with Jesus is fruitless - literally! We can try to live on the coat tails of another who is deeply in love with Jesus, but that just won't produce much within us or through us. It will keep us exactly where the devil wants us to be, though! It will mean we don't make that connection ourselves, being spoon fed what little we learn about Jesus, never really coming to the place where we are fed at the feet of Jesus ourselves. The message of truth comes to us. We are ...
Everybody walking away from the world’s ways is on the way to life, but the one who insists on holding on to his life just as it is ends up losing it. (Matthew 16:25 MSG) In other translations, this passage presents us with what seems to be a bit of an oxymoron: If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. (NLT) The more we attempt to 'hang on to' the way of living according to this world's standards, the further we get from living in close, intimate relationship with Jesus. Forsake those ways of living and draw closer to Jesus in every way. The desires or ambitions of this life here on earth are nothing compared to what Jesus has planned for those who are willing to lay those desires and ambitions at his feet. All our 'worldly attachments' may not seem like much at first, but if any of them interfere with developing a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus, they are hurting us. We form 'att...