🌿 REMAIN IN THE VINE 🌿

🌿 REMAIN IN THE VINE 🌿

Scripture

John 15:5 — KJV

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Psalm 23:1 — KJV

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Ephesians 1:18 — KJV

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.”

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 — KJV

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Yesterday started out rough.

Actually, if I'm being completely honest, the whole week had been rough. I woke up determined that I wasn't going to church.

I just felt like I needed a break.

A break from myself.

A break from people.

A break from all the things swirling around in my head.

After all, we humans can be an exhausting species! 😂

But somewhere along the way, my mood became marginally better. And then I remembered that yesterday was the day I had planned to give little gifts of appreciation to some of the women who mentor me, pray for me, love me, and somehow manage to love me even when I don't feel particularly lovable.

So I went.

I gave four little angel fairies to women whose prayers help guide our church and our community. Then I gave two sister gifts to two ladies whose hearts are very close to mine, even though we don't get to spend nearly as much time together as I would like.

And you know what?

God knew exactly what He was doing.

The pastor's message was spot on. It was one of those messages where you sit there thinking, “Okay, God. I hear You.”

The songs lifted my spirit and made me feel closer to Him. After church, we went to a birthday celebration and had a really nice time.

Our intention had been to have a quiet day of rest, but we had one errand to run. Once that was finished, Ross and I took the dogs outside and simply watched them dig, play, and enjoy the fresh air.

Nothing extraordinary.

Just a simple afternoon.

And yet, somehow, it felt like exactly what we needed.

Isn't that just like God?

Sometimes we don't even know what we need.

We think we need to hide away.

We think we need to escape.

We think we need everything around us to change.

And sometimes what we really need is simply to reconnect with the One who never left us.

Jesus said:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches.”

A branch doesn't have to figure out how to produce grapes.

It doesn't have to strain and struggle and say, “Come on, branch! Work harder!”

It simply has to remain connected to the vine.

Jesus tells us to abide in Him.

The Greek word used here is menō, which means to remain, stay, continue, dwell, or make one's home.

I love that.

Jesus isn't telling us to visit Him occasionally.

He's inviting us to make our home in Him.

When we remain connected to Jesus, His life flows into ours.

That doesn't mean every day will be easy.

It doesn't mean we won't wake up grumpy, overwhelmed, exhausted, or wanting to hide from every other human being on the planet. 😂

It means we don't have to face those days disconnected from our Source.

There's another beautiful word that fits here: the Hebrew word bāṭaḥ, meaning to trust, rely upon, or place confidence in.

That's what we're being invited to do.

Trust God when we don't understand.

Rely on Him when our own strength is running low.

Place our confidence in Him when we don't have a clue what tomorrow is going to look like.

Psalm 23:1 says:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

A shepherd knows what his sheep need.

Food.

Water.

Protection.

Rest.

Direction.

The sheep don't have to understand the shepherd's entire plan. They simply have to follow him.

And maybe that's part of the lesson God was giving me yesterday.

I didn't know what I needed.

I thought I needed to stay home.

But God knew.

He knew I needed worship.

He knew I needed His Word.

He knew I needed the encouragement of my pastor.

He knew I needed music that would lift my heart.

He knew I needed to give those little gifts.

He knew I needed to celebrate someone's birthday.

And He even knew that watching a bunch of crazy dogs dig holes in the yard would help bring a little peace to my afternoon! 😂

God knew what I needed before I did.

That's why Ephesians 1:18 is such a beautiful prayer:

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened…”

Paul was praying that believers would be able to see.

Not just see what is happening around them, but see beyond it.

See God's hope.

See His calling.

See His presence.

See that there is more happening than what we can understand with our physical eyes.

And 1 Corinthians reminds us that we aren't even our own. We are God's dwelling place because the Holy Spirit lives within us.

That changes the way we look at ourselves.

We may feel worn out.

We may feel discouraged.

We may feel like we're not doing enough.

We may even have mornings when we don't particularly like ourselves very much.

But God hasn't walked away.

The Vine is still there.

The Shepherd is still leading.

The Holy Spirit is still within us.

And God's love hasn't changed one bit.

So maybe today you don't have to figure everything out.

Maybe you don't have to fix yourself.

Maybe you don't have to know exactly what you need.

Just remain.

Stay connected.

Talk to God.

Listen for Him.

Open His Word.

Trust Him.

And let His life flow through you.

Because when we remain connected to the Vine, fruit comes naturally.

Love.

Joy.

Peace.

Patience.

Kindness.

Faithfulness.

Goodness.

Self-control.

Not because we worked ourselves to death trying to manufacture them, but because we stayed connected to the One who produces them in us.

Yesterday, I thought I needed a break from people.

Instead, God reminded me that what I really needed was a little more time connected to Him.

And once I reconnected to the Vine, my perspective began to change.

Even in a difficult week.

Even with a difficult morning.

Even when I didn't feel particularly lovable.

God was there.

He always is.

And sometimes the greatest blessing is realizing that even when we don't know what we need or want, God already knows the answer.

Praise God! ❤️

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for knowing what we need even when we don't know ourselves.

Thank You for being our Vine when we feel disconnected, our Shepherd when we feel lost, and our strength when we are completely worn out.

Lord, forgive us for the times we try to do everything in our own strength. Help us remember that we were never meant to live disconnected from You.

Teach us to remain.

Help us make our home in You.

When our minds are overwhelmed, give us Your peace. When our hearts are discouraged, remind us of Your hope. When we don't know which direction to take, guide our steps.

Open the eyes of our hearts and help us see You working even when we cannot understand what You are doing.

And Lord, help us remember that we don't have to manufacture the fruit You desire from our lives. We simply need to stay connected to You and allow Your Spirit to work within us.

Thank You for loving us on the days when we don't even feel lovable.

Thank You for meeting us exactly where we are.

We trust You with today.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen. ❤️

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive our trespassers.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory,

for ever.

Amen. ❤️

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED

AMEN BOBBA ❤️

Love, Penny 💛 

#Godisgood #faith #devotional