"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
"Apart from me you can do nothing,"
Jesus' words to his disciples resound within me,
as though there were a bell in the center of my chest.
Apart from You, Lord, I can do nothing! I can do nothing of significance or eternal value, nothing that will out last this decaying world. All that I see is passing away, but You have appointed us to bear fruit that would last. This work is only possible as we remain in You. O Lord, convince of our sheer need for You. That we would come and esteem You as Lord in our lives. Lord, convince us in our depths that we would do nothing in our strength, but that we would look to You, Spirit. That we would run after You and wait upon You, that we would search out the deeper things, the things that will last, that are beyond time. O Lord, You are Creator and to You a day is like a thousand years, a thousand years are like a day. You are the One Who sees all and knows all, and is beyond all. You have written eternity in our hearts even as You are eternal. O Lord, we seek You, we look to You. We ask You and beseech You to come and move with power. Spirit, stir our hearts, light us a flame, cause us to run after You.
May we not forsake You, but may we delight in You. May we remain in You. May we let You speak to us through Your Word, and may we wait on You in prayer and pray in all things with all kinds of prayers and requests. Lord, I can do nothing apart from You. For in You we live and move and have our being. You are the One before all things and in You all things hold together. O Lord, strengthen Your branches, to bear more fruit that it would be a testimony to the beautiful power of the Vine and the Gardener.
How worthy You are. How majestic! Your grace is sufficient and Your power is made perfect in our weakness. Apart from You I can do nothing.
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