YOU ARE A "BRANCH" OF JESUS CHRIST!!

You, and I, fellow sojourner and Christian, have
a rare and special privilege of being a part of the
life that flows into us and through us from our
Saviour, Jesus Christ!
My favorite passage of Scripture is John 15, where
Jesus declares himself to be "the true Vine", his
Father (God) the "vinedresser", and we are the
"branches".
Do you understand the full impact and scope of
those terms or that principle?
Fundamentally, when we become Christians via
our "rebirth" or our salvation experience, we
immediately are attached to, plugged into, or
engrafted into Jesus! Another term easier to
understand might be "adoption".
What this means is that we who were once a
part of another plant or vine, were accepted
into the "true Vine", and all that He is and has
is now ours!
As with any "life", it is necessary to maintain our
status and attachment, so that the needed
"nutrients" can be received by us. All that Jesus
is possessor of, His love, joy, peace, understanding,
faith, patience, etc., basically the "fruit of the Spirit"
as detailed in Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and
23, we now have, and will continue to have as
long as we stay "in Him"!
How do we stay in Him? Not by osmosis. Not by
relying on an experience or experiences of years
gone by. Not by simply owning a Bible. Not even
by attending church, however frequently or
infrequently. Not even by being a church member!
We stay in Jesus Christ by fellowshiping with Him
in worship and meditation. We stay in Jesus by
reading the Biblical accounts of his WORDS, deeds,
and instructions. We stay in Jesus by REGULAR
prayer! (If you'll recall, even God's Son spent
numerous hours on various occasions praying to
his Father!) If He needed to pray, how much
moreso do you and I!!
And if we're doing the things that we need to do
to remain alive in "the Vine", we will find our
lives and testimonies being positive examples
to family, neighbors, and friends, without any
stress or distress worrying about being His
witness!
LIVING CLOSE TO JESUS will make life so
easy to live as a Christian and a "branch", as
we will not give a second thought about what
others may say about us or do to us. When
they reject your message, they're not rejecting
you, they're rejecting JESUS CHRIST, who wants
so dearly to be their Saviour, too! He even
suffered, bled, and died for them, to prove
how much He really loves them!
Make your days count, friend. Make time to
get to know your Lord Jesus better! Spend
time in the Gospel accounts! Ask yourself
"What would Jesus do?" when a situation arises.
LET HIS LIFE FLOW THROUGH YOU!