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.
How to Start Making Decisions that Honor God
Think back to a decision you made that you now regret. We’ve all done things that weigh us down and make us wonder, “Why do I seem to do what I know is wrong?”
The apostle Paul knew what this felt like…
“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
Romans 7:19 NLT
The apostle Paul described this as a struggle between our old and our new natures.
Our old nature is marked by a desire to do whatever seems pleasing to us in the moment, regardless of the consequences. And while this might feel freeing at times, it ultimately leads to conflict, chaos, and destruction.
Before Jesus’ resurrection, the Hebrew people kept this old nature in check by closely following the laws God gave to Moses. These laws were meant to help people draw near to God. But they didn’t fix human nature—they revealed humanity’s brokenness.
The law separated from God by revealing how far people naturally ...