Yesterday I was reading John 15 and even though I have heard this passage many times before, I have never actually taken the time to really think about it. As I was reading, I was just thinking to myself how cool God is. How much He can do if only we give Him the room in our live to do so. Verses 1-3 say this “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." I have so much room for improvement in my life. We all do. I think that a lot of times we begin to think that we are perfect just the way we are and that nothing about us needs to be changed. But we are wrong. God is the gardener of our hearts and our lives. We need Him to trim the parts of us that we no longer need and that are dead and not bearing fruit. We need Him to reveal to us the aspects of our lives that need changing so that we can bear the good fruit that He wants us to have. Maybe we think that it is an area that is perfectly fine, but really it isn't bringing the glory to God that He deserves and so He needs to prune us and get rid of that "branch" in our life. We need to let Him do that. If we don't let go of it, it is going to hold us back from doing the best work we possibly can for Jesus. I know that I don't always like change, but I am ready and willing to be changed by God into the woman that He wants me to be. How about you? Are you willing to be changed by God?
Verses 4-8 say "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." In order for us to reach our fullest potential, we need to remain in God. That doesn't mean just simply going to church and being a spectator. It means really seeking after God and what He wants for your life. It means spending time with Him praying and reading His Word. I often got in the habit of saying that I didn't have the time everyday. But I have been making the time recently and I see such a difference in my life. I see the fruit that I bear. I have realized that I really can do nothing if I do not remain in God. I don't want to be that useless, unfruitful branch that is thrown into the fire. I want to do great things for God. I want Him to use me in ways that I could never imagine and do things with my life that only He can do. I think that it is comforting to know that if I remain in Him, I can come boldly before the throne of grace and ask for anything and have it done. If I am in Him, I know that I will be asking for things that will bring Him that glory and the honor that are due to Him. This has nothing to do with me and my status and everything to do with God. So take the time and pick up your Bible and seek out God. Remain in Him. Don't walk away when things get hard. Trust that He knows what He is doing with your life and with your branches. Let Him produce the fruit in your life and see what will happen!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Life After Graduation
Life after graduation isn't all it's cracked up to be. I am not going to lie, I am going to miss college. Maybe not all the tests or having to go to classes, but I will miss it nonetheless. I know that come fall, I might be wishing that I had a class or two to attend. I am going to miss the late night deep conversations and the roommate sleepovers. I will miss sitting for hours in Garlock talking and having that be the only fun break for the day. I am going to miss always having someone to talk to or do something with. In fact, I already miss all of this. Don't get me wrong I love being home, but it isn't the same. I spent a lot of my first couple years at college wishing that time would go faster and that I could move on with real life and now I am hear and wishing for more time at the place and with the people where I spent four years growing and learning.
Since graduating, I have spent many of my days substitute teaching. I don't mind it, but I can't wait for my own classroom someday soon. I hate having a different schedule everyday and not knowing what is coming next. I like routine and schedule, but with subbing you kind of just have to go with the flow. I guess that is what I am learning right now. Just go with the flow. God has it all under control even when I don't. I don't have to have it all under control for that matter. I am not very good at giving up control. I don't like not know what I will be doing 3 months from now. Right now, there aren't a lot of job perspectives for me and I just want to move on. I know that God has a plan, but really believing that is the key. Knowing that maybe where I am heading is not necessarily what I had planned is scary, but I need to go with the flow and let God guide me in this next season of my life. I know that the place I need to be is right where God will put me. I just need to be open to letting Him have complete control and not question. God tells us not to worry, so I am not going to worry. I am going to trust that He has a plan. His plan is so much bigger and better than any plan that I could ever have. God has continually proven that He will provide for me. He continually brings up the phrase "you of little faith" to my mind. I have to ask myself where am I placing my faith. If I say that I have faith in God, I need to actually be able to let go of everything I am and give it up to God. I need to be willing to say here is my faith God and it is in you, not myself. Let me worry about today and work on glorifying God through everything I do. Let me be a light in the here and now and not worry about tomorrow. Let me trust that God is going to provide everything I could ever need.
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Since graduating, I have spent many of my days substitute teaching. I don't mind it, but I can't wait for my own classroom someday soon. I hate having a different schedule everyday and not knowing what is coming next. I like routine and schedule, but with subbing you kind of just have to go with the flow. I guess that is what I am learning right now. Just go with the flow. God has it all under control even when I don't. I don't have to have it all under control for that matter. I am not very good at giving up control. I don't like not know what I will be doing 3 months from now. Right now, there aren't a lot of job perspectives for me and I just want to move on. I know that God has a plan, but really believing that is the key. Knowing that maybe where I am heading is not necessarily what I had planned is scary, but I need to go with the flow and let God guide me in this next season of my life. I know that the place I need to be is right where God will put me. I just need to be open to letting Him have complete control and not question. God tells us not to worry, so I am not going to worry. I am going to trust that He has a plan. His plan is so much bigger and better than any plan that I could ever have. God has continually proven that He will provide for me. He continually brings up the phrase "you of little faith" to my mind. I have to ask myself where am I placing my faith. If I say that I have faith in God, I need to actually be able to let go of everything I am and give it up to God. I need to be willing to say here is my faith God and it is in you, not myself. Let me worry about today and work on glorifying God through everything I do. Let me be a light in the here and now and not worry about tomorrow. Let me trust that God is going to provide everything I could ever need.
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
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