(Today’s Devotional Submitted by Guest Writer: Louis Miori, Pastor of Pastoral Care, Champion Forest Baptist Church)
“‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’” John 15:5 (NIV)
If you go to the local bookstore, you will find hundreds of book titles in the “self-help” section. While some of these books offer practical solutions to life’s problems, many of these books center on changing one’s outward behavior in one’s own strength. Most of these books encourage intense self-reliance to become a better person and to have a better life.
While our culture places a primary emphasis on SELF: self-reliance, self-improvement, and even self-indulgence, Jesus speaks to the contrary by telling us that apart from Him, we can do nothing! To attain a life of victory, a life of true joy, peace, and purpose, a life where we successfully overcome our hurts, habits, and hang-ups, Jesus endorses a life of complete surrender to Him and complete dependence on Him. As we daily surrender ourselves to the Lordship of Christ, and as we daily declare our dependence on Him rather than ourselves, then He will enable us to live a fruitful life.
What kind of fruit is produced when a follower of Christ chooses to totally surrender to and totally depend on God? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, take a few moments to evaluate the evidence of each of the nine fruit of the Spirit in your life (Gal. 5:22-23). If you truly want to see how the fruit of the Spirit is manifesting in your life, ask your spouse, another family member, or a trusted friend to “inspect your fruit” with this same 1-10 scale. Be encouraged, God loves you so much and wants you to live a life of surrender, dependence, and victory!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
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