I need to abide in Jesus!
It’s often tempting for me to think that if I better myself I will bear much fruit. If I just _______ and a million other things then I’ll bear much fruit and God will be able to use me. But that’s not what God’s Word says.
Jesus tells us that if we abide in Him we will bear much fruit. Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada.
Yet, often I get that backwards or flat out don’t believe that truth.
Don’t get me wrong. I realize that we need to be faithful and work hard. I get that.
But, left to my own devices I can’t do it. Not at all. I NEED THE LORD! But sadly I often forget that. A lot of times I work in my own strength.
Yet God is the one that calls the stars by name. He holds the great fireball in the sky that we call the sun. He has more strength than me. It is the height of stupidity for me to try to serve the Lord in my own strength and to bear fruit of myself.
Good Father, help me to abide in Jesus and so bear much fruit. O’ Spirit, our great helper, please come. I need You.
Parenting is a Blast!
Parenting is a blast to my plans, dreams, and aspirations. Parenting is a drain on my time and money. Parenting is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done; even beyond the difficulties of being married for 8 years.
Diapers, dishes, and unprecedented decibel levels, parenting challenges me and my wife. Parenting is a blast to our self-control and self-sufficiency. We crash and come to the end of ourselves on a daily basis.
We daily need to point each other towards grace and patience, but I’m not saying we always do. We more and more each see our need to abide in Christ and thus bear fruit (Jn. 15:4), fruit like grace and patience; but, again, I’m not saying we always do.
Parenting has added to me and my wife’s chore list, carpet, and cares but it is a blast in a fun sense as well. Even on days when the vacuum cleaner explodes and sends shards of old messes back to their familiar home, or when the entire glass of orange juice and bowl of milk gets dumped on the floor (in the dining room that has white carpet!), or when the kids are begging for food when dinner is still being cleaned up…
Even on those types of days (most days), when the kids are in bed, we often find ourselves looking at pictures of our kids and recounting the day’s fun stories.
Two lessons we’re trying to remember in the midst of the blast:
- Abide in Christ and look to Him for grace and patience. He has been gracious and patient with me and my wife and He can help us be gracious and patient with our kids.
- Time flys. So we should enjoy all the fun with our kids as we can. And say “yes” whenever we can (without spoiling them). Soon it will be they that say “no” to us.
in X 