Do We Live, or Practice Living?   

   We told you about our tall pine tree that a crew removed. The trunk, 23 inches in diameter at the base, was healthy, but its upper 15 feet or so was torn away by a cat-1 hurricane, Erma. 

   A high branch and its minor branches were dead, ugly and mostly disconnected. A lower branch was alive and well. 

   The bark had carried life to one branch, but the branch that didn't remain attached had died (blame the hurricane). 

   In John chapter 15, Jesus represented himself as "the vine." What He didn't address here, but we know, his disciples were not connected to him from birth. 

   And neither were we. Dead in our sins (Ephesians 2), humans are born without God's true everlasting life. 

   We can practice love, patience, kindness etc., but our efforts - speaking for myself - fall short, and may not achieve the purposes He has in mind. 

   No. Jesus takes dead (never alive) branches and grafts them to himself, the vine. Only then, real life will flow.

   Trees bear fruit. The fruit Jesus provides (by the Holy Spirit) is powerful and varied: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - no matter what! (Galatians 5.) 

   His branches bear "much fruit" for the common good, and He prunes even them. The fallen pine tree was shredded here on our street. Dead branches - once alive - on Jesus' vine "are thrown into the fire and burned." 

   The Bible says, when we receive Jesus we have the Holy Spirit. I'm asking, does the Holy Spirit have me? 

      Jimmy