June 4, 2020

"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."
John 15:4-5
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
James 1:2-4

I used to follow the philosophy that if I didn’t know what to do, I needed to do something because anything was better than nothing. The thought behind that was the idea that I couldn’t guide a ship that was standing still. Now I realize how foolish that is. Abiding in Christ and waiting on the Lord often involves being restful, silent and still. While no activity may seem to be unproductive, that is okay because God hasn’t called me to be productive. His desire is for me to trust Him as I abide in Christ so that, as a branch, I can bear His fruit. My ego hates the thought of that because it isn’t in control when I am resting in the Lord. I pray that God will help me remain content, grateful and filled with His joy in all of my circumstances, even when they appear to be negative.