Thought– We can bear no good, eternal fruit unless we are abiding in the Vine.
Scripture- “I am the vine and you are the branches. if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Insight: In day 24 of learning to apply biblical principles to our daily life, what we are referring to as Practical Christianity, let’s consider what it means to have abundance in our relationship with Christ. In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I came to give you life and give it in abundance.” So, what does that mean for us and how should we incorporate this into our daily lives? Does Jesus mean that if we follow him we will be abundantly rich? That we should have an abundance of material possessions? That we will have an abundance of power or an abundance of influence or an abundance of friends? While I believe all of these could be possible if it is Gods will for your life, I believe that Christ was referring to our relationship with Him and the abundance of “life” that pours out of all aspects of our relationship with Him. In other words, and according to various scriptural truths found in the Bible, because of Christ living in us and through us, via the power of the Holy Spirit, we can have an abundance of hope, and abundance of peace, an abundance of joy, and an abundance of love that permeates all of our earthly relationships. We can be “full” even when life leaves us empty. We can be strong, even when new are weak. We can be courageous, even when we are fearful. We can be generous, even when times are tough. We can be forgiving, even when we are falsely accused. We can be witnesses, even when we are being persecuted for our faith in Jesus. We can be joyful even when we are in the midst of pain. Why? Because as 1 John 4:4 says “He who is living in me is greater than he who is living in the world.” In other words, Jesus has overcome, the tomb was empty, and the victory is won and is ours forever and ever! That gives us an abundance that no one can steal, and which can’t be measured by human means.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the abundance that we have in your Son, Christ Jesus. Because of Him, even our darkest days can be full of His light that is living in us. We are full of abundance, because Jesus is infinitely abundant. Amen
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