Fill er up

We all hear so much about fulfillment. We say things like "My job is so un-fulfilling", or "My wife just doesn't fulfill me anymore", or "My life just isn't as fulfilling as I hoped it would be". I see people all the time with beautiful homes, cars, children, families, faces, the list goes on and on. However, the common demoniminator is lack of fulfillment (or joy). You might ask, "well Mr., how can I feel fulfilled?" I am glad you asked.

In the bible, Jesus says He is the vine and we are the branches. Have you ever noticed a branch that is cut off from the trunk, or the main vine? The branch has a very slim chance of actually living. More often than not, the cut off branch dries up and either rots away, or is tossed into a burn pile.

If we are looking for "fulfillment" in anything other than Jesus, we are wasting our time. How can we expect someone to love us or treat us any better than we treat other people. We are a lost cause without Jesus. The bible tells us that our attempts at righteousness are like filthy rags. This word for filthy rags is actually a woman's menstrual cloth. That is the comparison given for our attempts at righteousness.

I challenge you today to accept the fact that you can't do it on your own. What is "it", you may ask. I would have to define "it" in this context as our lives. We NEED Jesus to cleanse our hearts of sin, and to make a way for us to walk in fellowship with the Father.

Make sure you are attached to the Vine today.

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

John 15:5 "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. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.