Remind Me Again

Dear Friends,

This week I've been reminded of how important it is to daily rely on God. The reminder came as I found myself in the middle of a busy week, with lots of challenging things going on, and my ability to handle those things was limited. So as I tried to navigate through these things that are way above my pay grade, and as I became more and more aware that I wasn’t able to do what I needed to do, I was reminded of how much I need to daily ask God for His strength and wisdom.

I would like to say that this is the first time I have realized the importance of relying on God, but unfortunately, that’s not true. To be honest, this is something that I’ve had to be reminded of countless times. It’s also a topic I’ve preached on, and it's even something that I've written about in these daily devotionals. However, making it happen on a consistent basis is still something I can struggle with.  

As I've pondered that over the past few days, it's occurred to me that one of the main reasons that I don’t fully rely on God is because I think I can handle life on my own. It’s not that I don't understand I have a need for God, and it's not that I don't know on an intellectual level that God is the source for all that I do each day. It’s more that I don't live with a “heart knowledge” of that truth. In other words, too often I go through the day trusting in my own ability to get everything done. The results is that I can end a lot of days tired and worn out because I've been doing everything under my own power.

But I don't think I'm alone in this challenge, because I think this is something most believers wrestle with. Jesus addresses this issue in John 15:5 when He tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” So Jesus is our “vine” - but what does that mean on a practical level? What does a “vine” actually do for the branches attached to it? Well actually, it does a lot, as the vine literally provides everything that a branch needs to not only survive, but also to produce fruit. Without the vine, the branch will shrivel up and die. So in a very real way, there is a relationship of complete dependence between the vine and the branch.

This analogy of the vine and branches explains why it’s so important for us to remember our need to daily rely on God. Because while the world will offer us all sorts of other “vines” for us to attach ourselves to – things like our careers, or our relationships, or our stuff, or even our own abilities – they aren’t “true vines”. So that means they won’t be able to give us the real nourishment we need to survive. And even though they may feel good at first, over time, our souls will starve from lack of real nourishment. That’s why Jesus tells us that He is the true vine - and it's also why we need to continually be asking God to help us rely on Him every day.

So today, let's turn to God with all that we have going on, and let’s ask Him to help us do what needs to be done. Let’s intentionally rely on His wisdom and power to give us all that we need to get through today in a way that is beneficial for us, and honoring to Him.

Amen?

Daniel