"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:1-5(NIV)
I'm going to be completely honest with you, today's lesson was hard for me. Talking to God does not come easy for me. Its not the talking part because most of you know, I could probably talk to a tree for about an hour. It's just the talking to Him part. Why would someone who I've done so wrong, who I've turned my back against, want to listen and talk to me? I just feel stupid. I mean I've been saved and all but I strayed away from him. I went back to doing things I wanted to do and the way I wanted to do them. Not once did I ask for him to help me in any of these situations. I was a branch trying to grow without being connected to the main vine.
I have been talking to him the past couple of weeks. I'm not talking about getting down on my knees and praying to him every second. But he's also there in my thoughts. There is not one thought that goes through my mind that he doesn't know about. So I try to include him in every day situations. I talk to him casually. It is getting easier to talk to him because I have accepted him into my heart and I am trying to live through him. If I were to live my life scared to talk to him, that would get me no where.
In this chapter, Pastor Kerry gives an awesome illustration. He says that with a little research, he has discovered that in today's vineyards, the head gardener trains his pruners for 2 to 3 years before ever letting them cut any branches. If a pruner messes up one tiny thing, he can ruin the whole crop. Well our Lord is the best pruner out there. He knows what he's doing. There are certain areas in our life that he is taking out and putting in. He does this so we can have a better quality of life. It may stink at times and not be what we want at all, but he knows what he is doing. And its up to us to listen to him, stay connected to his vine, and follow his leadership.
"Make it Count Moment"
Are there any areas in your life that you've seen God "prune"?
My answer is YES!! Some areas good and some I thought were horrible. Like just recently, he has pruned out all the bad influences in my life...anyone that was bringing me down. He let me see their true colors and listening to him, I let them go. Other times he may have taken a job opportunity away from me. This being something I really want, may not be what he wants for me. His timing is impeccable and I know he has what is right for me out there... Same goes with a relationship. Its just my choice to accept his decisions.
"Make it Last for Life"
- What are some current barriers from connecting with God?
- Write a letter or letter of prayer to God, opening yourself up to him about some present frustrations or let-downs.
- How are you with communicating to him or confessing? If you knew you only had one month to live, how would you do that differently?
Prayer Requests:
To keep me motivated on this journey.
Be with me through my struggles in every day life... I'm a work in progress.
Be with my friends and family through all of their needs, whether it be sickness, opportunities, or struggles.
Praise:
Went to the baby doctor this morning and everything came out fine with my little Preston. Blood work came back and everything came back negative with birth defects or down syndrome. Thank you Lord!!!!!
Praise again to my friend Scooter who is staying strong and faithful on this One Month to Live journey with me... and thank you for his accountability always being there for someone to talk to and keeping me strong.
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