The Source of All
Look around…
Everything’s been masterfully designed: The skies, the trees, the mountains, the oceans. The animals, the people, the seen, and the unseen.
You can breathe because you've been given lungs, oxygen, and an environment that sustains life. You can move because you've been given muscles, tendons, and a brain that instructs your body. You can think, dream, plan, design, create, build—because you've been given the desire, ability, and some raw materials.
So if you want to live a life that matters, a life that leaves an eternal legacy, you must stay connected to the source of life. Jesus said it like this, using an illustration that was familiar to His listeners:
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:4-5 NLT
When Jesus says, “I am the vine,” He’s making a statement. He’s saying that He is the source—that anything that’s made is because of His life-giving power.
So if you long for real truth, for genuine wisdom, or to make a lasting difference in this world, stick close to God—because anything worth being or doing starts with Him.
Patient Endurance
When we become Christians, we might be tempted to cling to a false belief that our lives will be problem-free. But the truth is: everyone experiences suffering. However, when you belong to Jesus, you don’t go through painful situations alone. And whatever hardships you face, it’s not the end of your story.
God sees us on the best and worst days of our lives, but His love for us does not change.
He understands our deepest suffering because He experienced it Himself when He became Immanuel, “God with us.” When we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances, God can show us how to find rest. When we give our burdens to Him, He can refresh our heavy hearts.
God can handle our pain because He understands our hardships.
He is trustworthy and faithful. Even when our circumstances feel dark and hopeless, we can trust that He will carry us through every situation.
Suffering is a part of being human, but we honor God by handing our hardships over to Him, and looking for the ...