BRANCHES
I just spent the last three days trimming my trees. A number of them had gotten out of hand and had grown way too high, so a great deal of cutting needed to be done.
In the middle of this trimming I noticed that two of my trees began to blossom. Leaf shoots were pushing their way out of the small buds that had developed. Even the branches and twigs which I had removed from the tree started to show the signs of life.
But soon, those which had been cut off from the tree stopped their growing. Much as they wanted to, there was no life left within -- no nourishment to sustain their growth.
The Christian who thinks he can sustain his faith without connection is like this. He doesn't read his Bible. He doesn't come to church. He doesn't receive communion. He doesn't surround himself with a network of believers and put himself in places where his faith can be nourished.
And soon, he can find that his joy, his hope, his confidence, his faith can begin to wither under the pressures and challenges of life.
Jesus is the source of our life and strength. As He says in the chapter, "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine."
How is your connection to Christ? Are you making use of the gifts He has given you to remain in Him who is the Vine?
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