"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing."  John 15:5
 
 
The vine, and the precious sap that flows through it's veins, are the life source of the branches.  Cut off the flow of sap to the branch and the branch no longer abides in the vine and it will wither and eventually die.
 
The Lord paints a wonderful picture here.  We are called to abide in Him and simply bear fruit; we are not the producer of this fruit however, the Holy Spirit is (Gal. 5:22).  Jesus has equipped us for the work He has called us to do in advance.  We need only be obedient to His calling and abide in Him remembering that apart from Jesus we can do nothing; He is our life source.
 
I'd like to share the following poem, which was inspired during my study time for today's devotional.
 
A Mere Branch
 
A mere branch am I, in a hostile land,
yet the sap that flows through me is of the slain Lamb.
The fruit that I desire and choose to bear,
is produced by the Holy Spirit with great care.
Totally dependant on Him, I desire to completely be,
for through the slain Lord's blood, I was set free (for eternity).
 
by April Correia
(c) April L. Correia 2000
 
Allow the power of our awesome Lord to flow through you, beloved.  Let Him be the producer, equipping and empowering you for the calling He has for your life, you need only bear the fruit.
 
Have a joyous day in our Lord!
April

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