Stay Connected

I was reading through John 15 this morning. Jesus is speaking to His disciples and the chapter begins with an illustration of His - a vine and its branches. Jesus stresses the importance of staying connected to God for life and for power, apart from God we can accomplish nothing and we are worth nothing. Jesus then begins to talk with His disciples about the importance of remaining connected to God's love, apart from God's love there is no peace and there is no joy. Jesus continues by telling His disciples to stay connected to God through obedience, all wisdom comes to us through God and He has a greater plan in mind, desiring us to live a fruitful life and bear fruit that will last.

So, stay connected. 

From Merton's Palace of Nowhere by James Finley; "Mertton once told me to quit trying so hard in prayer. He said: 'How does and apple ripen? It just sits in the sun.' A small green apple cannot ripen in one night by tightening all its muscles, squinting its eyes and tightening its jaw in order to find itself the next morning miraculously large, red, ripe, and juicy beside its small green counterparts. Like the birth of a baby or the opening of a rose, the birth of true self takes place in God's time. We must wait for God, we must be awake, we must trust in his hidden action within us."

So, once again, stay connected.