God's Love

 1 Corinth 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Valentine’s Day is a special day when love is expressed to someone special in your life. It is a day to celebrate the commitment to a shared relationship, or desire for one. This is love that is based on human emotions and feelings toward someone. It is an affection that is sought by all human beings, because everyone desires to find this kind of love in life. But such love is not everlasting and is known to turn into hate given the right circumstances. This is not the kind of love that is spoken here in scripture. This charity (love) comes from above and sent from God and is sealed in the hearts of Christians who have totally given their lives to Christ. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:10). The manifestation of this love is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit, which makes His home in the heart of the believer. The list of what this looks like is found here in 1 Corinthian 13, but is also demonstrated through the fruits of the Spirit and Christians living out their walk before the world and other believers. We live in a world of sin and living for self. Self is grounded not in love for others, but in self-gratification, desire and preeminence over all others. Let love rule in your heart, to live in the vine, to allow God to be in you and work through you to accomplish His love to the world that others may come to love and serve Him.

The Abundant Life

John 10:10

 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Living the Abundant Life. “In this life, you will have tribulation, but fear not, I have overcome the world.” The word of Jesus speaks to us about living life not just to survive, but living life to its fullness. Days of sorrow are inevitable and hardships will come to all who live, so how is it possible to live an abundant life. A life the rises above the mundane of things of earthly duty and responsibilities. A life that, in spite of the circumstances can flow with joy unspeakable and full of rejoicing. The abundant life is to live in the Vine. The source of vitality come from a deeper source. Christ, who is the Vine, lives through us, and in us. The light of Jesus shines bright in the darkness of the day. The abundant life is more than just being happy, but it is a life knowing the Jesus is with you wherever you go and whatever you are going through.

Living in the Vine

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John 15:5- I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Living in The Vine is the name of this personal Bible journal (Blog). The essences of being a Christian is to live and abide in Christ, and to remain always in Him. Having a religion called Christianity without abiding in Him is idol worship and is fruitless. The world measures success by what a person accomplishes in life, but it is all vanity outside of the Vine. The expectation of being part of the Vine is to have a life that will bare fruit. It is the fruit of our lives that testify that we our abiding in the Vine. If the branch does not bare fruit, Jesus said it is of no use and is to be cut off and cast away. We may call ourselves Christians, but to truly be part of the Vine it is essential that our lives show the fruits of the Spirit of God. I judge not, for only God knows the heart. Let us examine our hearts and the fruit of our character. Abide in the word of God, keep His commandments, let your actions show the world what it means to belong to the Vine. As long as we abide in Him, there is no fear of being cut off and cast away.

Living in the Word is a Lifestyle

Debt. 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up…  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

Living in the word of God is a lifestyle. It consumes every part of our day. The things we do and the things we say are guided by the words that are given to us in the Bible. It is unnatural for a Christian to go through the day and not think on the precepts of God’s word. As a Christian, we are part of the Vine, and the words of Christ flows through our life essence. His word is more than a set of rules and instructions to live by, it is the source of life we draw from to inspire us to keep moving forward. It provides us the promises that God will not leave us or forsake us in our time of need. As we wake up in the morning, and start our busy daily responsibilities, may we keep His word in our hearts, and allow His word to guide our thoughts, words and deeds. Let us make God’s word more than just a good book to read, but may it become our lifestyle.

You Must Be Born Again

John 3:6,7  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

A new chance at life. Born again is a new beginning with a new heart. The old heart was dead in trespasses and sin, it was sold under sin and a servant to the nature of sin. The old life has been put to rest with its deeds of unrighteousness. The old life was burden down with guilt and shame, but the Spirit of God through Christ has removed the load of sin and it has been cast into the sea of God’s forgetfulness to be remember against us no longer. His blood now cleanses us from all sin and we have been born again through His grace and mercy. Born again and there has been a change in me, old things have past away, and all things have become new. We now see life through different lens, our world view and what is important in life is now set on things above and not on things of this world. Being born again is not turning over a new leaf, but having the experience of growing new from the branch, a new leaf in the vine of God’s love. Being born again is more than just believing that Jesus is God and came to the world to save sinners, it is allowing His Spirit to make us what we ought to be, a new creature in Christ Jesus. If eternal life is your desire, Jesus said, you must be born again!

Divine Forgiveness

Eph. 4:32 “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”-

Real forgiveness is divine. Forgiveness implies that there is no animosity toward the person that did you wrong, or treated you unfairly. It is one of the most difficult Christian attributes to demonstrate when the heart is hurting and breaking. We were made with the emotions to love and hate. To hate is not wrong, we hate sin, we hate what sin has done to our society, and how it has affected those we love. When someone is hateful, we abhor the hate they manifest. It is difficult to separate hate and the one who is hating, or hurting. How can we forgive such a person who only thinks of themselves and lives to only gratify their lustful desires. God loves the hater (sinner) and died on the cross that the hater may know forgiveness and know eternal life. This is divine forgiveness that comes from God. In the human, such forgiveness is not found. Living in the Vine means that God’s love lives within us. We are instrument and vessel that He uses to show others how God loves. If we hold bitterness and resentment toward others, we have failed to show God’s forgiveness to them. Let us put aside our pride and be kind and tenderhearted toward those who may hurt us. In most cases, those that hurt others are also hurting. Christ desires to forgive and heal those that hurt.