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Only Jesus - Fulfiller of Life The meaning of fulfillment is finding happiness, satisfaction or a sense of completion. For us followers of Christ, it’s a little different. Our lives can be busy with us caught up in ten different things or we could be in a slow lane where each day doesn’t seem to go by fast enough. Either way if we as followers of Christ have found our God-given purpose our lives would be infinitely fulfilled. Without Jesus our lives would mean nothing, will have no impact and will lack fulfillment. In today’s passages we see Jesus likening himself to three common images that we can all relate to. He says in John 6 that he is the Bread of Life and that whoever went to him would never hunger or thirst again. Jesus by using the analogy of bread asks us to make Him our “staple”. As important as bread is for our households so also is Jesus vital to our very existence. In accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, we receive the gift of eternal life. While eternity is our assured destination we need Jesus in our everyday to help us live joyfully and purposefully. How intentional are we in walking everyday with Jesus. Do we carve out time for time alone with Him, do we prioritize prayer and worship in our schedules ? Is Jesus your staple or your back up? In John 10 verse 10, Jesus says that although the enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy, He has come to give us abundant life. The imagery Jesus uses is that of Sheep. He likens himself to the Gate for the sheep and the Good shepherd while we are the sheep. Sheep are highly social animals needing each other in the flock for security, nourishment and nurture. Jesus is basically saying that in order to experience the pasture which is a picture of abundance we must be in a Christ-centered community. The word abundance in the Bible is mostly used with reference to God and His abundant love, faithfulness and kindness. It goes to show that abundance is linked to generosity as seen in 2 Corinthians 9 where Paul speaks of sowing abundantly to reap abundantly. This abundance for us as Christians is experienced within the context of community where we bless others with what we have been blessed.  If we withhold unduly- we won’t experience this overflow. If we are calculative in how we bless others we won’t have excess. If we avoid community at all costs, we won’t have the opportunity to share our abundance - then we become self-indulgent and inward focused. In John 15 verse 4, Jesus compares himself to a Vine, His father to the Master vine dresser and us the branches. He speaks in verse 2 of how every fruitful branch must be pruned in order to be more fruitful. This therefore indicates that to be fruitful in our lives as Christians it is mandatory to experience periodic pruning. While pruning wounds the plant it is vital for the plant’s health and growth. Similarly in our lives God takes us through seasons of pruning so that we are transformed gradually into His likeness and bear fruit. It’s evidence of God’s immense love for us. He loves us too much to leave us the way we were. The interesting thing is that our Fruitfulness is rarely experienced by us since we are usually in the throes of pruning related difficulties or setbacks but it is felt and observed by those around us. They see traits like kindness, self-control, and patient endurance develop and sense something different in us. Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you for being a loving father to me. I pray that I would walk in step with you everyday, live generously and be willing to change as you transform me into your likeness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.