ReceiveSýnishorn

This is a fact:

God has a purpose for your life. But you won’t be able to fulfill this purpose alone. You're like a branch of a fruit tree that can grow heavy with fruit. But you can’t nourish yourself. Everything you need flows from God, from the main stem of the vine, out to the branches. With the Holy Spirit abiding in you, you’ve become connected to the life source, God—God Himself, and therefore you can live out God’s beautiful purpose for your life!

John 15:4-5 says…

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine and 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." [NLT]

The Holy Spirit is your pathway of connection to Jesus. Just like a small branch is connected to a larger, rooted vine, you get your spiritual nourishment from God through the delivery system of the Spirit.

Think for a moment about yourself before you came to Christ. In your old life, you were subject to the workings of sin and death, which were keeping you separated from God. You remember. You, the little branch, were cut off from the vine. When a branch is cut from a plant, no matter how much you care for it, water, trim, and feed that branch, it won’t survive, let alone thrive enough to bear fruit!

That was your old life, but now you’re connected to God through the Holy Spirit. You can bear fruit with His help.

In the book of Galatians...

The apostle Paul explains that living in the Spirit and living in the world look very different.

It says…

"When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God." [Galatians 5:19-21, NLT]

But Paul goes on to describe how living in the Spirit gives us something better!

When you’re filled with the Spirit, you’re supported by His trustworthy care, feeding, and guidance. You’re watered by His life-giving presence. You’re nourished. You’ll bloom, empowered with God’s power, and good changes will begin happening. Not just in your life, but also in the lives of the people you’re close with! Cultivate this relationship, and expect goodness to follow.

Let’s pray together…

God, we know that we can do nothing apart from You. Help us understand and deepen our relationship with You, Holy Spirit. We want to abide with You and listen closely to Your voice. We want our lives to be directed by You.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.