“Remain in me, as I also 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.
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No matter how much we try to make life work on our own, the result, sooner or later, is the same. But we keep pushing. We keep trying… in our own strength. There’s something deep inside that believes that we can actually “trick the system”, that we can be the exception. That we can do it, must do it... On our own. All the while God waits. Patiently. Lovingly. Honoring our will and our decisions.
Until disruption comes. We burn out. Our body gives up after years of neglect. The shameful addiction that we’ve tried to hide for years is exposed. The house of cards we’ve carefully built for years at work suddenly collapses. Then we turn to God. “Where are you? Help me! Why is this happening to me?" And in His kindness He responds, He loves, He restores.
But does it have to be that way?
The reality is that all along, while we are off trying to make life work on our own, God has not only been waiting. He’s also been inviting.
“Son, there’s another way, let’s do it together, you are not on your own. Let’s do it my way. Trust me. I want the best for you, I have the best for you. Come to me. Remain in me.”
You don’t have to wait to be disrupted. You don’t need to waste another 5 or 10 years. He is right here, today, right now. And He is inviting you. If you want to “bear fruit”, if you want to experience abundant life, there is a way: Remain in Him, in utter dependence, in complete trust. The life that you seek is available. But it can only be found in Him. He’s inviting you today.
What’s your answer?
“Jesus, I confess the many ways in which I don’t fully trust you have my best at heart. How although I do believe in you, I still doubt that you will actually intervene, provide, protect in the daily circumstances of my life. I confess how deep in my heart I believe “I am on my own. It is up to me”. And so I choose to try to make life work in my own strength. Jesus, heal my unbelief. I don’t want to do it alone anymore. I need you, I want you. I choose you. I say Yes to your invitation. I choose to remain in you. To depend on you as the branch depends on the vine... for life. Feel me with your Life. Become my Life. I ask that you would reveal to me how I can depend on you more and more in my daily circumstances. I give them to you. I give to you my marriage, my family, my work, my relationships. Guide me, lead me. Let’s do it your way. Jesus, I consent to you and to your ways. Today I say Yes.”