Branching Out

 

“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)

 

Many years ago when my grandkids were small, they begged to put up my Christmas tree. “I would love that,” I replied. “How about I give you some directions and then you can do it?” Six little heads immediately shook back and forth. “No thanks. We can do it all by ourselves,” they responded enthusiastically.

 

I smiled and watched as they opened the huge tree box and dumped its contents on the floor. The artificial tree was color-coded to help the person putting it together. Each branch had a colored tip which corresponded to the same colored hole in the tree “trunk.”

 

There were longer branches at the bottom, medium length in the middle and shorter ones at the top. If layered correctly, the tree resembled a triangle.

 

“So what do you think, Grandma?” the tree trimmers asked me after they had finished the tree several minutes later. I wasn’t quite sure what to say. “I’ve never seen a tree quite like it,” I finally answered. “It is very . . . unique.”

 

The larger, red coded branches that were supposed to be inserted at the bottom of the trunk were at the top. The middle layers were bare with no branches at all. The bottom of the tree, which should have had two layers of six branches each, had only one small branch in each of the two rows. In addition, none of the grandchildren seemed to be concerned that there were several more branches left on the floor.

 

I couldn’t help laughing as I heard one of them comment: “The picture on the box is wrong. It doesn’t look anything like our tree.” Mercy.

 

In today’s Scripture in John 15:5, the branches that Jesus is referring to are not ones on a Christmas tree but rather, each of us. And He is very clear in what He is saying: if we do not stay connected to Him as the Power Source in our lives, we will be useless in bringing others to Him and useless to His kingdom. He is the “picture on the box.” He is the One we should pattern our lives after every day.

 

I shake my head as I think about the times I have tried to do life on my own. As if this “branch” thought she could survive without the Vine of Jesus! I’ve even wondered if “the picture on the box was wrong” as far as His plan for me because my life hadn’t turned out at all like I thought it should

 

We may all be “unique” branches but our relationship with Jesus, the Vine of Life, will keep us connected as we bear much fruit for Him.  

 

Father, I want more than anything to have you first in my life. I desire to be a branch that bears fruit for you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt that you could handle situations in life on your own without the Lord?

 

• How did those situations turn out when you tried to handle them by yourself?

 

Apply

• Draw an outline of a Christmas tree, and write in the Lord at the top.

 

• Begin your day with Jesus at the Top of the tree. Prioritize your list of activities for the day, after you have spent time with Him.

 

Power

• John 15:5 (NIV) “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.”

 

• Psalm 32:8 (NIV) “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

 

• Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

When Staying the Same is Better than Change

 

 

 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

 

One of the best times I remember as a teen was going on a scavenger hunt with friends. We had a list of things that had to be retrieved in order to win a prize. Things like “hair off Grandpa Dale's head” and “get a dime from a woman parked at Simone's Drive-In” topped the list.

 

Whoever got everything collected first would race back to a pre-determined spot and wait for everyone else, gloating over the win.

 
            Recently I had the joy of experiencing a scavenger hunt again . . . at Wal-Mart. Our local store began rearranging everything on shelves and in aisles so that their store would be a carbon copy of every other Wal-Mart. The idea served a great purpose: whatever town a shopper was in, they could easily find what they needed because all their stores were arranged exactly alike.

 

For a directionally-challenged person like me, it sounded wonderful. I had a great time during my first visit after the changes but I also think that I spent twice what I had planned. For example, when I went to the cereal aisle and found chips instead, I thought that I might as well get a bag or two. Looking for a can of corn took me to the candy aisle and who could resist that? After all, candy corn is corn, I reasoned.

 
            Not everyone shared my thrill of the hunt. As I was looking for peanut butter, I noticed what appeared to be a very frustrated woman walking up and down aisle after aisle and periodically looking heavenward as if needing divine help in her search.

 
            Thinking I could be of assistance, I asked “Are you looking for something?” to which she responded “Seriously? Are you kidding?” and then followed that with a huge sigh and a “Sorry. Plastic bags. I need plastic bags. They are not in the store anywhere!

Why would they quit carrying plastic bags?”

 

“Where were they before the changes?” I asked her. “Where the soda pop is now,” she answered, rolling her eyes. I shrugged. “So maybe they are where the soda pop was . . .” “Nope, already checked,” she replied, shaking her head.

 

           A Wal-Mart employee walked by and I couldn't resist: “Hey, I'll give you $5.00 to find plastic bags for this lady.” What he didn’t realize was that I was determined to make it a competition and find them first; however, five minutes later, I heard “I've found them!” and the employee held up the box of plastic bags.

 

The previously frustrated customer pumped her fist in the air and yelled “Yes!” as she grabbed the plastic bags, threw them in her cart, and left to find a can of spaghetti sauce. The employee politely declined the money I offered, stated that it was a pleasure to help a customer and left to help someone else. That was okay with me. Because when I went to the peanut butter aisle, I found the cereal aisle instead . . .

 

Changes occur in our lives every day – sometimes every minute! But how wonderful that today’s Scripture in Hebrews 13:8 reassures us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

 

You will never turn to Jeremiah 31:34 and, instead of reading “I will remember their sin no more,” find that God has changed His mind and has decided “I will remember every single sin you have ever committed.”

 

We will never need to fear that “He is not here; I’m not sure what happened.” has replaced “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:6) God’s Word is truth and it is never going to change. Ever.

 

Be comforted in knowing that the God of the Universe who loves you and who stood firm in your yesterday and did not change will also stand firm in your today and in your tomorrow. For eternity.

 

 

Father, Thank you for never changing and for your words of love and truth in my life every day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever had people in your life totally change from how you knew them? What was your initial response?

 

Apply

• Journal people in your life who have completely changed from their beliefs and describe how they have changed.

 

• Now journal promises from God’s Word that reassure you that He will never change. Thank Him for His faithfulness.

 

Power

• Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

 

• Isaiah 40:8 (NIV) “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our not destroyed.”

 

• Malachi 3:6 (NIV) “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

His First Choice

 

“. . . for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the

peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen

you to be his treasured possession.”

Deuteronomy 14:2 (NIV)

 

About three years after my husband passed away, I received a phone call from an acquaintance asking me out on a date. It caught me by surprise because I had given no thought to dating at all.

           

            The conversation – or rather, his invitation – left me speechless. First we exchanged the usual greetings: “How are you?” “I’m doing okay. And you?” “I’m doing alright, too.” Nothing out of the ordinary there.

 

Then he said “I’m calling to ask you out on a date.” Before I could respond, he continued. "I asked a woman out here in my town that I kind of know but she had other plans. So then I asked out a friend of her sister’s cousin but she couldn’t go either. I couldn’t think of anybody else so I called you.” Mercy.

 

At first the words would not come but I was finally able to find my voice and politely decline his invitation. But I found myself thinking “he just told me that I was his third choice for a date. Not his first or even the second. But his third choice.”

 

Our Scripture is Deuteronomy 14:2. It reads “. . . for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”  Moses could have written that for anyone who has ever been relegated to third – or last – place.

 

For example, you not only do not get the job you applied for but you don’t even get an interview. Or all of your friends are getting together Saturday night and you find out that you were not included.

 

Yes those situations are going to happen in life. But never with God. He says that He chose you to be His “treasured possession.” Something that special and priceless is selected FIRST and cared for and loved. He even says that before we were in the womb, He had already set us apart. (Jeremiah 1:5)

 

Second place? Or even third? No way! We were loved before the world began, set apart as treasures, and selected to serve the Creator of the Universe. So the next time you find yourself second or third or not even considered for something, remember that with the Lord, you are always His first choice.

 

Father, I love knowing that you have chosen me as your possession, as your child. That you treasure me. Thank you for your love and mercy. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Can you remember a situation when it was very clear that you were not a first choice for a job or event?

 

• How did that make you feel?

 

Apply

• Journal a paragraph in black ink about a situation you are currently in that causes you to feel you are unwanted or unloved. Beside it, in red ink, journal today’s Power Verses and insert your name in place of the pronoun “you.”

 

• Thank the Lord that He is a personal God and has selected you as His treasured possession.

 

Power

• Deuteronomy 14:2 (NIV) “. . . for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”

 

• John 15:16 (NIV) “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

 

• Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

 

 

 

 

 

Does God Grade My Prayer?

“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or
withheld his love from me!”
Psalm 66:20 (NIV)
 
               The first time I had to give a speech at school in front of the whole class, I was in the 4^th grade and I was scared to death.

               There were certain requirements on a speech check list. Each of my classmates had that list, pens in hand, ready to mark either “yes” or “no” in the box beside each bullet point, depending on how the speaker did. A total of 30 points were possible.

               Some of the questions were “Does the speaker capture the attention of the listener?” and “Does the speaker use logical transitions to move from one point to the next?” plus “Will the audience understand the main points of the speaker?”

               As I sat waiting my turn to speak, a million thoughts ran through my head: “what if I forget to stand up straight or mispronounce a word? What if they don’t like the subject I’m talking about or what if they don’t like ME? Is my outfit a good choice for what I am doing or should I have worn something else? 
 
               If everything isn’t just right and they don’t approve of me or what I am saying, they will give me a low score and I will fail! I have to get this right the first time – no second chances!”
 
               The time came for me to speak and I walked to the front of the classroom, smiling bravely on the outside but anxious and worried on the inside. Thankfully I was able to complete my speech and breathed a sigh of relief as I received each list with a majority of check marks in the “yes” box.

               Have you ever come before the Lord to pray and felt a bit like I did giving my speech? What if my words aren’t right when I pray? What if God doesn’t approve of what I am saying? What if my prayer is too long or too short? Does God ever see me as a failure in my prayer time? Does He get tired of me praying the same thing over and over?
 
               How thankful I am for Psalm 66:20. I never have to dread meeting the Lord in prayer because I don’t know how to express myself to Him with the right words. I don’t have to wonder if He will still love me if I share all my thoughts and fears or if He will check the “no” box. 
 
               No matter what, God does not withhold His love from us nor will He reject us when we come to Him in prayer. That truth gives us the confidence to simply say “Father” or “Daddy” or “Jesus” and know without a doubt that He listens, loves, and answers. 
               Father, thank you for hearing me when I call, listening to my simple words and answering me with love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
 
 
R.A.P. it up . . . 
 
Reflect
·         Have you ever felt like you were being critiqued by the Lord as you prayed?
 
·         What led you to believe there was a list of right and wrong ways to pray?
 
Apply
·         Underline Psalm 66:20 in your Bible and memorize it.
 
·         Pray this Scripture at the beginning of your prayer time, thanking the Lord for hearing what you are sharing with Him.
 
Power 

Psalm 66:20 (NIV) “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”

 

Romans 8:26 (NIV) “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

 

Isaiah 65:24 (NIV) “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”