Abiding in Christ
I've always been fascinated by Jesus' words in John 15:5: "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."
What does it truly mean to abide in Christ? It's far more than religious activity or spiritual box-ticking. Abiding is about maintaining a constant connection with Jesus, like a branch naturally draws life from the vine.
Think about it: branches don't strain to produce fruit. They simply stay connected to their life source. The branch doesn't wake up each morning with a to-do list: "Must make three grapes by noon!" No, fruit emerges organically when the branch remains attached to the vine.
Similarly, our spiritual fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, etc.—isn't manufactured through human effort.
Resolution Revolution
I used to be the queen of New Year's resolutions. You name it, I resolved it: exercise more, eat less chocolate (though why anyone would want to do that is beyond me), read through the Bible in a year, and keep a cleaner house. The list went on and on. But come February, those resolutions were nothing more than guilt-inducing reminders of my failures scribbled in my journal.
Recently, when someone asked if I still made New Year's resolutions, I had to chuckle. "No," I replied, "I've given up on giving up things." The irony wasn't lost on either of us.
But here's what I've discovered in my journey away from resolution-making: God isn't interested in our annual goal-setting nearly as much as He's interested in our daily surrender.
Who’s the Fixer?
Picture this: You're in the midst of a hurricane of chaos, trying to control everything around you like a weathered ship's captain steering through a storm. You've got your hands full, attempting to "fix" your circumstances, mend broken relationships, and even "improve" people to meet your ideal standards. You've got a toolkit brimming with solutions, and you're determined to use it, no matter the cost!
But wait just a second. Before you envision yourself as a one-person repair crew, let's chat about the power of relinquishing control and acknowledging what isn't our job.