the vine

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me."

Again, another verse that I have read a hundred times before today. But, today I really saw it a whole new way, almost as if I was reading it for the first time.

Bob Kilpatrick reminds us that, "branches do not visit the vine when they need sustenance. They do not come and go. They stay. They are attached. If they detach they die."

We need to constantly be with Jesus to stay connected to Him. This is the only way that we can receive everything that comes from God to create Holiness in us. It is much more about who we are in Christ, than what we do in our busyness. What we do "for" Him... He made it crystal clear when He spoke with Mary and Martha. He was trying to teach and visit with them but Martha couldn't be bothered to just sit and listen. Martha was a doer and really thought she was doing the right thing. It was, however, the complete opposite of what Jesus wanted her to be doing in that moment. He just says to abide.

Doesn't sound that difficult...we are the branches and He is the vine...amazing!