I am the Vine – you are the branches

Just wanted to post these that I’ve been led to medidate on to be strengthened in the truth that God is to be our strength.

‘The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, “Here is the man who did not make God his strength …”‘ Psalm 52:6,7

‘Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasing strength.’ Isaiah 26: 4

‘But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.’ Isaiah 40:31

‘That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength.” Isaiah 45:23,24

‘Even to your old age , I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.’ Isaiah 46:4

‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength … Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river …’ Jeremiah 17:5,7,8.

‘So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually.’ Hosea 12:6

‘I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me.’ Hosea 14:9

The Lord wants to be our ALL-sufficient Savior. Jesus wants us to rely and depend completely upon Him. Our salvation and fruit and life in Him is to be worked out by that same faith through which we were first saved. That faith was total insufficiency, helplessness and feebleness on our own part, and all-sufficiency, strength, power and might of Jesus to do all for and in us, looking to Him. That is the same faith with which our entire christian lives should be lived every moment from beggining to end. The Lord is our strength. We need to start coming to Jesus in feebleness and insufficiency, looking to Him to strengthen us, enable us and bear fruit in us, to enable us and keep us abiding in Him, waiting upon and trusting in Him by faith from moment to moment, daily.

I think sadly there is much self striving, self effort, self reliance and striving in our own strength in the church today. I think God would have us remember that Jesus said that we are the branches and He is the Vine (John 15:1-12). If we abide in Him, we shall bear much fruit, showing ourseleves to be His disciples. A branch only has to remain in the vine, looking to the vine for nourishment, sap, nutrients, victory and bearing fruit. It doesn’t strive on its own to accomplish these things, but looks to, trusts in, waits upon and abides in the vine.

Even Paul said in Galatians: ‘Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?’ Galatians 3:3. Satan wants nothing more than to keep us from this kind of faith, because through it, Jesus can bear much fruit in us, but if we are deceived by trying in our own efforts and striving and self dependance to live the christian life, or not living with this kind of faith in God, then it blocks what Jesus wants to do for us, in us and through us.

I hope this is a blessing to someone 🙂 Also I would recommend a book by a very Godly author of the 1800’s Andrew Murray http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Murray_%28minister%29 titled ‘Abide in Christ’

God bless

Daniel