Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Jesus Is the True Vine
15 Jesus said to his disciples:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of what I have said to you.
4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. 5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.
7 Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. 8 When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. 9 I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. 10 If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.
Well once again this morning, (like I should be really surprised by now), the message is clear. He is the essential component in my life... the means to produce great works. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him I can produce great things. I prayed this morning that God would give me the encouragement in times of depression, times of frustration, times of struggle, and this is the message I get this morning. That is PRETTY amazing and a clear reminder that He is with me and that I must remain on the path I am on and persevere.
Then I got another message:
Ephesians 7-8 Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. God has great wisdom and understanding, 9 and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways. 10 Then when the time is right, God will do all that he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth.
Again, God has wisdom that I cannot understand, but WHEN the time is right, all that He has put into place with me will come together. Wow, how is that for food for thought.
4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. 5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.
7 Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. 8 When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. 9 I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. 10 If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.
Well once again this morning, (like I should be really surprised by now), the message is clear. He is the essential component in my life... the means to produce great works. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him I can produce great things. I prayed this morning that God would give me the encouragement in times of depression, times of frustration, times of struggle, and this is the message I get this morning. That is PRETTY amazing and a clear reminder that He is with me and that I must remain on the path I am on and persevere.
Then I got another message:
Ephesians 7-8 Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. God has great wisdom and understanding, 9 and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways. 10 Then when the time is right, God will do all that he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth.
Again, God has wisdom that I cannot understand, but WHEN the time is right, all that He has put into place with me will come together. Wow, how is that for food for thought.
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