So much destruction after the latest snowstorm. So many branches broken off the trees… having fallen to the ground … only good for firewood now. Even the branches that had started to bud with the promise of spring just around the corner are now lying … useless … on the ground after the storm ripped them away from the tree. And, as such, the branches are no longer able to bear fruit … for their “life” was in the nourishment of the tree … on their own, the branches lying on the ground can do nothing. In the same way, we, as humans have been going through various storms of life … some little and some big … most recently with COVID-19… a storm that is beyond our control … a storm that we all need to wait out … whether we like it or not. In this storm we are all like the branches – each one of us. Some of us are connected to the “tree” and some of us are not. Some of us are firm in our position in our relationship with Jesus Christ, some of us are “hanging” off like a branch ready to snap off the tree if yet another stormy wind blows through, and some of us have already fallen away and are lying on the ground feeling useless without any nourishment feeding our souls. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (NIV) The “timeless truth” of this verse lets us know that we need a relationship with Jesus Christ … for He, alone, gives us the “sap” we need to be nourished so we can live. John 10:10 tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they (you) may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV) So, if you recognize you are feeling like a “lifeless branch” today, know that there is HOPE. No matter what storm you find yourself in, no matter what your current position is in a relationship with Jesus Christ, know that He desires to give you life … in a greater measure than ever before… and that life begins now… even in the middle of the storm… as you call out to Him in prayer and simply ask Him to provide you with whatever it is you need. Whether you’ve drifted away from the close relationship you once had, whether you’re really, really far away or just a little bit “away” – or even if you know, in your heart of hearts you could be closer but the storms of life have distracted you from being as “connected” to the “vine” as you know you could be… today’s your day to come back to Jesus and get reconnected to the only One who can give you LIFE to the full… even in the middle of the storm. So call on Jesus today … be honest and simply tell Him what’s in your heart … simply tell Him of your desire to be connected to Him …tell Him your need for strength to withstand the storms of life … no matter how long they last … tell Him whatever it is you need … whatever it is you know only He can give you … and, as you believe and exercise faith, watch and see God provide whatever it is you need in the way He knows is best.
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