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Apart From Me |
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Apart From Me
When it comes to being around others do you feel a part of
or apart from?
No matter how much we may convince ourselves that we don’t
need or want fellowship God knows that’s not true.
We were created for each other, for community. God desires
a relationship with us, so much so that He sent Jesus
to bring us back to Him and to make it possible for us
to have the rich reward of eternal life with God. Part
of the beauty of God’s fellowship with us is how
it is accomplished by our interaction with other people.
In John 15:5 Christ tells us, “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”.
This scripture verse is incredibly rich. What does it
tell us? For one, Jesus is telling us the secret of unity.
When we are united to God in three persons, we are part
of the answered prayer to “be one just as you and
I are one”. Being part of the divine consciousness
makes us whole. No longer are we isolated and operating
on our own power. We are part of the great stream of living
water!
Divine Vine
Another significant revelation of the verse is that God desires
to work through us. Again the mysterious power of the
Trinity expresses itself. The Holy Spirit comes and dwells
in us and empowers us with gifts that bring about good.
We are branches connected to the divine vine.
Why be connected? Look to psalm 16. Verse 2 is “I
said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from
you I have no good thing’." Further on, verses
7-9: “I will praise the LORD , who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,”
Also, Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and do not rely on your own insight”.
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Slip Sliding Away
Not only does God desire the most intimate relationship possible
with us, He also has the power that enables us to live
life to the fullest. As soon as we stray even the tiniest
bit from Jesus then we are relying to some extent on our
own knowledge, our own power. Compromise is subtle. And deadly.
Why then when we believe we are relying on God and staying
close to Jesus do we still have so many struggles? This
mystery of suffering can cause us to pull away from Jesus.
Not because of rebellion, but rather because of hurt.
We feel like we’ve been let down.
This is why Jesus warned us ahead of time that we should
expect persecution for following him. This path is not
always smooth. In the realm of spiritual warfare the enemy
will do whatever possible to pull us away from the source
of all power and life. God allows us to go through these
troubles precisely in hope that we will rely on Him. He
will demonstrate His power over darkness, through us and
in a way that shines hope to others!
When we are in doubt, when we feel like darkness is all
around, that is precisely the time to turn to God and
ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to understanding.
We pray earnestly for strength and for guidance. Peace
will wash over us and we will be a vibrant branch alive
on the vine, budding and blossoming and bearing great
fruit.
Not Cliches
The praying is the vital part. This prayer must be more than
mouthing a few well-worn phrases. It’s an honest,
naked communion between your soul and God’s presence.
Just as dangerous to our union with God are the times
when things are going so well that we begin to drift away.
We get busy and our activity begins to separate us from
our prayer life. Eventually, we are again seduced into
thinking that on our own power—our self-propulsion—we
can accomplish our goals and desires. Perhaps the troubles
that come are God’s way of bringing us back to Him.
It’s a course correction. Certainly I am praying
more and turning my attention more to God when I am in
trouble and need help.
The key to living is to stay connected, in good times
and bad. No wonder we are instructed to rejoice always,
give praise and thanks and to keep our eyes on Jesus.
Don’t be a part from. Be apart of.
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Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered
trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either
trademark for the offering of goods or services requires
the prior written consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy
Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
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PSALM 16:7-9 |
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"I will praise the LORD , who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure."
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(NIV) |
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