Daily Devotional – I’m Normal.™ I AM Ministries
“To promote Godly living in a culture committed to destroying it”
Monday, September 12, 2016
The Right Connection
Growing closer to God and connecting with Him is a never-ending process. It involves developing an intimacy with Him, finding fulfillment and the fullness of joy, and being able to live victoriously in all circumstances. This close, personal connection is often hard to establish, and once made, is easily broken by the frenzy of the world around us. Complicating matters, people around the world put their faith in gods of many types and criticize the I AM God. How, then, do we know we have made the right connection and how can we remain firmly connected?
First, it is important to understand what we are connected to. Begin by asking yourself these basic questions: What occupies most of my attention? What consumes most of my thought? What is it that really “rings my bell”? What is it I dream of and fantasize of the most? What is really god in my life? If the answer is anything other than Jesus Christ, you’ve established a bad connection.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (John 15:1). Remain in me and I will remain in you (v.4). I am the vine. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (v.5). These passages reveal the Truth regarding the only Way we can connect to a vine that supplies life, both physical and spiritual.
In verse 1, Jesus declares He is the true vine – there is no other. He really is the true vine, who alone can supply you with life, and life more abundant (John 10:10). If you are connected to anyone or anything else for your life other than the man Jesus Christ, you have not made the right connection. When connected to Him, you are connected to someone from whom you will draw life, rather than something that drains you. Jesus is the true vine who supplies life. All other vines sap life from you, some slowly, some more quickly.
Notice that when Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine, He was speaking to Jews who were connected to Israel. In the Old Testament, Israel was often referred to as the vine. Because of this cultural connection, Jesus’ words were considered radical, even blasphemous. He is saying clearly that Israel is not the vine; rather, He is the true vine. His claim to be the connection to God upset the existing religious order of the Jews. His words inflamed the religious leaders of the time.
Moreover, Jesus knew Israel’s history. The Old Testament tells us repeatedly how Israel connected with pagan gods. Each time Israel strayed, their strength as a nation was sapped quickly. Although Israel is called the vine, God was telling them there is a stronger, more permanent vine to which we should all attach firmly. Jesus announced He was greater than the nation of Israel.
The message is clear – Jesus Christ is the true vine. He is the only vine that can supply life. In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal, and to kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, that they might have it more abundantly.” The secret to true fulfillment, joy, strength, and spirituality is to be abiding in and connected to Jesus Christ. No other connection is normal.
If you are connected to anything other than Jesus Christ, you’re connected to the wrong vine. If you haven’t connected with Jesus, you haven’t made the right connection and your life will never be normal or abundant. Jesus is the true vine, who supplies continual life to His branches. No branch will ever exhaust the life of Jesus. Take time today to make sure you have made the right connection to the true vine God has given us.
Jeff Myers
A servant of Jesus Christ
><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·…¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·…¸><((((º>
`·.¸.·´¯`·…¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·…¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´`·.¸¸.·´¯
© Copyright 2016, I’m Normal.™ I AM Ministries, All rights reserved
If you find this devotional to be a blessing to you, please pass it along to others. You may become a subscriber by signing up at http://www.imnormal.com.
Complimentary copies of the eBook “I’m Normal. I AM” are available now at http://www.imnormal.com. Or, send your request to http://www.jeff@imnormal.com.
Paperback versions of the book “I’m Normal. I AM” are available through AuthorHouse Publishers at http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=38944
Are You Normal? What’s Normal about You? To find out, visit our website at http://www.imnormal.com
