'Remain in Me' - Jesus

Was reading John 15 tonight and here is a bit of what God has shown me! 

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

I am a branch clinging onto Jesus and its hard!! I feel like I am getting pulled in every direction, feel like things are trying to grab at me, to disconnect me from the vine to make me vulnerable trying to con me into letting go. They do their best to make me the kind of branch that doesn't bear fruit, the kind of branch that doesn't commit to the vine, doesn't get all that it needs from the vine. But I'm connected, And as I bear fruit the gardener prunes me, sometimes it hurts, sometimes it feels like the pruning is too painful to bear, but it is needed, it is for my good, it is so I learn, I grow, I beaf more fruit and give glory to the vine! 

"Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

I am nothing without the vine, without the vine I'm a dead branch, bearing nothing, not even bad fruit, I'm dead and lifeless. My dependence is 100% on the vine, on Jesus!  As I struggle here trying to do things on my own, without the vine giving me nutrients and sustenance I fail each and every time!! 

"If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."

Reality hits!! The scary truth!! If I don't dig into the vine more, if I give into the things that are pulling me away from the vine, I won't bear fruit and I'll be cut off and thrown away, more than that I'll be burned. So what is it? Where do I stand? Do I give into the ways of this world? Do I throw in the towel or do I stand and fight with everything I have within me? The choice is mine and the consequences are huge. I cling to the vine standing empty handed and completely surrendered!! 

"It you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love."

What promises!! What great truths!! As I abide in Him as I stay connected, getting all that I need from Him to bear fruit He is glorified. He loves me, and that is where I am meant to rest, where I can find peace. As I keep His commands as I continue to be His disciple and bear fruit I find rest in His love!! 

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

A picture of a joy that is overflowing, that isn't dependent on the circumstances surrounding it but it is a joy that never ends, it has no limits. And where I stand right now where life is knocking at my door trying to tear that joy away, I stay connected to the vine and that joy is given to me freely! 

 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." 

A challenge for me, for us all! To love like He did does not come naturally. Yet being connected to Him, He gives us the strength to do so! That blows my mind, He showed us that love, that sacrificial love, but then doesn't leave it there, He gives us what we need to show that love to those around us! As a branch I get all

I need from the vine, including the capacity to love in all things. I have been pulling away and how so quickly it comes clear that alone I can't love in that way, so I choose to cling to the vine! 

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. "

Nothing I have done has connected me to the vine. The gift of grace given by Jesus has given me life, it is what He has done that has given me life! It is Him and Him alone that makes me able to bear fruit! He has given me all I need and promises me to continue to provide all I need. As a branch by myself I am lifeless, dead, worthless, nothing, but connected to a life giving vine I have all I need! 

"These things I command you, so that you will love one another. "

John 15:1-17 ESV

I feel like my thoughts may be all over but as God has revealed so much to me through this passage I pray He does the same for you! 

Love 

A lesson learned, yet not recieved

Well I thought it was time to start writing again. I guess I'm hoping that by writing, some how, some way I will be able to make sense of some of the things that go through my head. Maybe by putting it all in sentences that can be read, some how, some way I will be able to work it all through.

The past couple of weeks have been crazy in so many ways, most of which arent good. I feel like life has thrown me quite a few curve balls, balls that I wasnt expecting, and  I didnt or I still dont quite know how to handle. Some of them I feel like I have had to deal with before, loosing a loved one, dealing with unrequited love, stresses of study, feeling helpless with so many hurting people around me, finding it hard to breathe, lessons I thought I had learnt, messages I thought I had received, yet when faced with all these things again I find myself right back at the beginning. Feeling like I am swimming in deep water with no land in sight, and I'm tired, so very tired! So what to do, where do I turn? I've been here before, yet I feel like I'm right back where I started.

So I do the only thing I know to do and try to move forward. I take it day by day, hour by hour and each morning I wake I thank God for the rest He has given me, that it is a new day and trust that each day will somehow become easier with His help. Life sucks sometimes, things become hard, people change, people hurt you, people leave (whether by choice or whether they leave this earth far too quickly), things happen that are unexplainable, but there is always HOPE.

Hope in the Oxford dictionary is defined as

'a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen'

 'a feeling of trust'

 

What it means for me to have hope is that, during times of struggle, of pain and hurt, to look forward, to look forward to God, to look to Him and Him alone. Trusting all that I have, all that I am, into His hands and believing that a brighter day is coming. I have a desire for that particular day, I can't wait for it to come, where there will be no more pain, no more hurt, no confusion. What a brilliant day that will be, but until then I'll take it day by day, hour by hour and with each new day that comes I will have to remind myself of a few things. Truths, promises that God has given me. A lesson I have learned, yet not received. Things I have heard so many times before but as soon as things get tough I let go of so easily. So once again I will remind myself of these, remind myself of how human I am, how weak and insignificant I am yet how great and powerful, how majestic God is! For when I am weak, He is strong. When I fall down, He will pick me up.

 

I am going to head to bed now, right now I need as much sleep as I can get. But I am gonna first share a verse that has meant a lot to me during this time. Its full of so many great truths, so many promises of how God is with us always, that He will give us the rest we need in HIM. He never leaves us or forsakes us and as I read verses like this over and over I am reminded His great love for me. A lesson learned, yet not always recieved, something I need to remind myself every single day, so I am gonna post this verse, and read it again to remind myself one more time for today!

 

God bless

 

Love 'just a girl travelling the world'

Psalm 62

¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
² Truly he is my ROCK and my SALVATION;
he is my FORTRESS, I will never be shaken.

³ How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
⁴ Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.

⁵ Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
⁶ Truly he is my ROCK and my SALVATION;
he is my FORTRESS, I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God^[c];
he is my mighty ROCK, my REFUGE.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our REFUGE.

⁹ Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

¹¹ One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“POWER belongs to you, God,
¹² and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”