‘I am the vine; you are the branches...’John 15:5 NIV

The Bible gives us two interesting pictures of our relationship with Jesus:

1) A branch. ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.’ Jesus wants to be as close to you as a branch is to a vine. One is an extension of the other. It’s impossible to tell where one starts and the other ends. The branch isn’t connected only at the moment of bearing fruit. The gardener doesn’t keep branches in a box and then, on the day he wants grapes, glue them to the vine. No, the branch constantly draws nutrition from the vine. Separation means certain death.

2) A bride (2 Corinthians 11:2). Aren’t we the bride of Christ? Haven’t we made vows to Him, and hasn’t He made vows to us? What does our marriage to Christ imply? For one thing, the communication never stops. In a happy home a husband doesn’t talk to his wife only when he wants something. He doesn’t pop in just when he wants a good meal or a clean shirt or a little romance. Healthy marriages have a sense of ‘remaining.’ There is tenderness, honesty, ongoing communication.

Sometimes we go to God with our joys, sometimes we go with our hurts, but we always go. And the more we go, the more we become like Him. People who live long lives together eventually begin to sound alike, talk alike and even think alike. As we walk with Jesus we take on His thoughts, His principles, His attitudes. Indeed, we take on His heart. 

‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’Matthew 24:35 NIV

One of the first books to come off the printing press when it was invented was the Bible. And it’s still the world’s best-selling book. An anonymous author has written: ‘It contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the fate of sinners, and the happiness of believers. It is a light to direct you, food to nourish you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller’s road map, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s weapon, and the player’s game plan. It’s a mine of incredible wealth, and a river of genuine joy. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Christ is its grand subject, your good its design, and the glory of God its end.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be spiritually healthy. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. Let it fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide your steps. It is given to you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered for ever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour, and judge those who trifle with its sacred contents.’

The Bible is ‘The word of our God which shall stand forever…’ (1Peter 1:25). Most of us respect the Bible; the trouble is we don’t read it daily and put it into practice. After hearing a discussion on various translations of the Bible, one man said: ‘I prefer my mother’s translation, because she translated it into everyday life.’ Are you doing that?

‘…Don’t give up.’Galatians 6:9 NLT

James Watt spent twenty years perfecting the steam engine. William Harvey worked for eight years to demonstrate how blood circulated in the human body, then for another twenty-five years trying to convince the medical establishment. Most of us underestimate the time it takes to achieve anything of lasting value. You’ve got to be willing to pay your dues. Cutting corners is a sign of impatience and poor self-discipline. The secret of every breakthrough is to follow through.

Albert Gray says, ‘The common denominator of all success lies in forming the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.’ If you find yourself continually giving in to your moods, you need to change your approach to doing things. To do this, you must set standards for yourself that require accountability. Suffering a consequence for not following through will keep you on track like nothing else. Once your new standards are in place, work according to them, not your moods; that will get you going in the right direction. Self-discipline is a quality that’s won only through practice.

Successful people have learned to do what doesn’t come naturally. They are willing to confront discomfort, distractions and doubt, and act in spite of them. R. H. Macy, founder of Macy’s department stores, failed at five different professions—whaler, retailer, gold miner, stockbroker, real estate broker—before he finally succeeded. When asked what sustained him through failure after failure he replied, ‘Purpose and persistence.’ That’s what separates those who achieve from those who merely dream! It’s why Paul wrote: ‘Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.’

‘To him who is able to do immeasurably more...’            Ephesians 3:20 NIV

There are words in your Bible which have so much power in them that they’re more effective than any therapy. God can illuminate a Scripture that goes back into the past and heals your wounds, gives you direction in the middle of despair, and provides hope for the future. Satan will try to fill your mind with so much junk that you don’t have an appetite for God’s Word. That’s because he knows the Scriptures unmask him, and release the potential lying dormant within you. Before Jeremiah rose to national prominence as a prophet, God told him two things:

1) ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…’ (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV). Your parents didn’t get the first look at you, God did. Nothing about you surprises Him. In spite of what you’ve been through, He hasn’t changed His mind about who you are or what you’re destined to become.

2) ‘Before you were born I set you apart…’ (v. 5 NIV). You say, ‘I’ve always felt different.’ That’s because you are. Celebrate it! Stop looking for acceptance where you don’t belong. You’re on a mission for God; that’s why the enemy has tried so hard to take you out. Once you understand that, your struggle will begin to make sense. As you study God’s Word you’ll begin to experience the mind-renewing, life-changing power He’s deposited within you. ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.’So start drawing on that power today.