John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
It has rained less than an inch in the past month and a half in the part of Oklahoma where I live, and over the past year we have had far less rain than normal. So, things are very dry. Many of the evergreen trees around the church building have started to turn brown, signifying they are dying, so we have had to water them everyday in the hopes of saving them. Without enough water, even these big, strong trees will eventually die.
Just like those trees, my physical body needs to be taken care of. After about 10 years of bad eating and little exercise, I have developed a heart condition. So, over the course of the past two years I have been working to eat better and to exercise more. The new found energy and zest I have discovered is amazing. In order for me to thrive physically I have to take care of myself, just like we have to take care of those trees.
Most importantly, though, is my life in Jesus Christ. If I do not take care of that life through prayer, Bible study, worship, service, and fellowship with other Christians, soon it will be dead! It is through these things I have just mentioned that we grow stronger in our faith; that we move from where we are spiritually to the place God desires us to be. It is through our life in Christ that we can face the challenges that come our way. If we are not growing in our life with Christ, the temptations and difficulties of life will knock us down. To be truly connected to Christ takes time and it takes effort. If you are not praying, if you are not reading the Bible, if you are not in a Bible study of some kind, if you aren’t worshipping, and if you are not hanging around other Christians, soon your spiritual life will be dead. Take anyone of these aspects out of your life, and your faith will be weakened. Just like those trees and just like your physical body, nourishing your life in Christ cannot be neglected!