~ Written
about fifteen years ago ~
Last year was full of commitments and responsibilities. The phone rang
incessantly. Now I work at home, alone--and wish they still needed me to teach,
write, counsel... anything.
Why did I resign? Did I misunderstand God's guidance?
Last year I missed the precious days alone with
my King. I longed for quiet. Now I am free to study, write, meditate and delight
in my best Friend. Then why this restlessness? O God heal this ache inside
me! I feel worthless, useless, a failure. What did I do wrong?
A memory flashed across my mind, interrupting my
thoughts. I recalled a splendid grapevine stretching its limbs in the Israeli
sunshine. Its long branches, heavy with ripening fruit, rested on rocks, inches
above the ground.
I am a branch of better Vine, I thought
to myself. Through the cross, I have been joined to Jesus Christ Himself!
He is that whole Vine: root, stem, sap, branches,
leaves and fruit -- everything! Each part is of and from Him. Separated from
the Vine, the parts would die, for His life alone gives strength and sustenance.
Since I am part of that wonderful, eternal Vine,
the sap--His cleansing blood and life-giving Spirit--flows through my every
cell, washing, healing, nourishing and building.
Harvest comes and goes. Each new season brings
changes. Last year, my fruit was taken and my leaves died, leaving my branch
empty, dry and lifeless. At least, so it seemed. Worse yet, the Vinedresser
pruned away my long shoots--the very ones that looked most promising and produced
the sweetest grapes. Ouch! That hurt! Only a stump of a branch
remains. I feel broken, ugly and useless. Not long ago I felt so productive
and competent; now I am reduced to total inadequacy. What happened?
The Vinedresser knows. If left, those long, strong
shoots might still produce lovely leaves in abundance--but little or no fruit
to the glory of the Vine. The deeper He cut, the more I would depend on the
Vine alone. Stripped bare, I turn my heart fully back to Him, my only source
of lasting strength, delight and fruitfulness.
The Vine felt the pain of the pruning with me;
for what cuts me, cuts Him as well. Together, we hurt, weep, heal and grow.
Then, He gently points my mind toward our common purpose. In and with
Him, I must prepare to produce nourishing fruit--not beautiful foliage.
Again I rest in the all-sufficient Vine, confident
that His life flowing through me will bring a new crop. I simply believe what
He has shown me about Himself and surrender to Him. His life never fails!
Teach
me to trust your plan, precious Lord, while you cut, prune, tie and guide.
Mold me into a branch that is fully surrendered to you -- always resting
in the abundance of your life-giving strength. For it is no longer I who
live, but Christ who lives in me! Apart from You I can do nothing.
Thank you, beloved Vine, my Lord and my King.
"I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
See also: John
15:1-17; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, 4:7-11; 1 Peter
4:12-13, 5:10-11.
Provided
to Cutting Edge by Berit Kjos of Kjos Ministries
Books
by Berit Kjos
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been
very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him
for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your
heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk
of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, but have come to realize
His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to accept His FREE
Gift of Eternal Life, you can also do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once
you accept Him as Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured
of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the
Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually.
