FWD: Morning Manna (Nov. 15); BP: Jn. 15:1-11; RBTTY: Heb. 11:1-19;

 
Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:52:15 -0600
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna (Nov. 15); BP: Jn. 15:1-11; RBTTY: Heb. 11:1-19;
 
November 15                                                                                             "Our Dependency On Him"
 
"Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you, except you abide in Me."
                                                                                                                                                    John 15:4
      Once we realize this, our faith and fruitfulness will increase.
     Part of our growth in the Christ-life is realizing our utter helplessness and total dependency upon Christ. At first, after being saved, we feel like we can charge the gates of hell with a water pistol—without being told! We read the Word. . .get excited about God’s precious promises. . .and somehow feel they’re already an integral part of our lives. But, soon we realize that "head knowledge" is not "heart knowledge" after we’ve impulsively tried to do something in our own strength and failed miserably.
     That’s why the words "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself" should never be far from the forefront of our minds. We know a branch has no inherent life of its own. It is attached to the vine or the tree, not rooted in the soil. Thus, it doesn’t receive any nutrients from the earth by itself, but is totally dependent upon its "host" to provide the sustenance it needs to live and growth.
Likewise, a branch has no power of its own to produce fruit. Again, it is totally dependent upon the vine or tree for its fruitfulness. And, we know if it’s a branch on an orange tree, it’s going to produce oranges. . .or a branch on an apple tree that it’ll produce apples. . .and so on.
     Thus, it’s foolish for us to think that we can live "the Christ-life" or produce "the fruits of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22-23) on our own. Again, the branch is TOTALLY DEPENDENT upon the "nature" and "nurture" of the vine or tree to produce fruit. And, it’s not that branch’s "trying hard" to produce more, bigger and better fruit that causes them to appear. No, it’s its "connection" to the vine/tree that does that.
     And, so it is as we "abide in Christ and He abides in us." It is our "anointed attachment"—i.e., our daily walk with Him through prayer and meditation on the Word—that enables us to bear fruit. This will also enable Him to prune away the "suckers of sin" that would inhibit our greatest fruitfulness in Him.
     Dear Pilgrim, have you known those barren times in your life where God’s Word made no sense at all and your prayers seemed so powerless? Have there been times when everything you tried ended in frustration and disappointment? Could it be that you were trying to produce fruit or bring about your desired results in your own strength?
     The "secret of fruitfulness," again, is "abiding in Christ and His words abiding in us" (v.7). Likewise, it is our "resting in Him" and "waiting upon Him" that frees Him to move in His own time and way. He will not be rushed; in fact, if we run ahead of Him, we’re apt to prohibit Him from moving and do more damage in the process. May the Holy Spirit help us today to "be still and know that He is God" (Ps. 46:10). Then, may we remind ourselves "Apart from Him, I can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5c).