“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. If 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. John 15:5-6 (NKJV)
Jesus continues his comparison by stating that He is the vine and those who follow Him are the branches. That is a potent statement for the disciples to hear. He continues by saying something that must have shaken them to their cores. Simply stated, he tells them they can do nothing to save someone or to minister to their broken spirits unless He is present and working in the circumstance. We must remember this when we present the Gospel to those around us.
Per the scripture, those who do not abide in Christ and chose to continue going their own way are punished for their disobedience.
Without Jesus’ guidance in our lives, we cannot become the persons He has planned for us to be. We must learn to remain in Him, no matter what we face in our earthly life.
A couple at our church went through a very difficult time. They both lost their jobs; then, they lost their house. The husband decided that they would stay with God and see how He would work things out for them. The church helped them by referring people to them if the people had odd jobs that needed to be done. They found a place to live. He found a new job within walking distance from their new home. He shared this story when he was asked to speak on Laity Sunday one year.
Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.