BE IN TUNE WITH CHRIST ALWAYS!

18^th MARCH 2020

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing – John 15:5

All human beings, indeed, the whole world, is sustained by God. God gives life to all things. Without God, nothing will live; His eternal word holds everything together. It happens that once in a while, we lose that sense of oneness with God, and in that process, we become helpless in the face of adversity. Aside from giving us life, God is the only one who can solve our problems without creating another problem for us. Why do we need to abide with God? We need to abide with God simply because God is supreme and His sovereignty rules over the world. Power and might are with God and He is the only one who can do all things without taking responsibility for anything! In today’s scripture, Jesus makes known the plan of God to make each of us permanently fruitful in life, but we must accept to remain branches of the living vine. How do you become a branch of the vine which is Jesus Christ? Remember how a tree grows and develop branches; both the tree and its branches grow together at the same time. The branches are never separated from the tree; they grow on it, draw nutrients from it and are always fruitful for as long as the tree remains alive. This brings us to the usual question of whether you have a good relationship with Jesus. Interestingly, some have a relationship with Christ, but not a good relationship. Also, some have never encountered Him, and therefore, unable to develop any kind of relationship with Him. Your good relationship with Christ must involve union with Him, and constant communion with Him. A good relationship with Jesus is like the relationship between a branch of a tree and the tree itself; the two are closely and naturally bonded together as one indivisible entity. Such is the relationship we ought to share with Jesus. It is a relationship that leads us to God! Therefore, while in Christ Jesus, we have access to a life-giving, soul-thrilling, joy-producing communion with God (1 John 1:3; John 15:11) It is this union and communion with God that makes us become fruitful and relevant in life. To abide in Christ is not a one-off affair; it’s a daily lifestyle by the power of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to do the following four (4) things:

·        First, we must walk by faith. Learning to walk by faith is a gradual process. The Scripture tells us that the righteous shall walk by faith. Your righteousness before God is justified by faith for without faith, it is difficult to please God.

·        Second, we must spend and focus our quality time on God, feeling and sensing His presence in us and around us every day.

·        Third, spend time to study the scriptures and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit daily.  When we truly understand the scriptures, we learn the truth that sets us free from every bondage and limitation.

·        Fourth, become a part of a God-fearing community and counsel one another. Fight against sin and live a constant life of imitation of Christ.

PRAYER

Father in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I declare I am fruitful and productive. Your word abides in me and I have become one with thee.  Lord, today I rebuke and silence every limitation affecting my life.  I declare I am free indeed! AMEN.

FURTHER READING:  John 15:7