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a growing church, abundant life, an active church, being active in life, church activites, daily strength, dead christianity, death versus life, dependence on God, does acitivity indicate growth, doing what's right, how do i not get burned out, tapping into our life source, tapping into the vine, vine and branches
I’ve been learning a lot of lessons over the last few months, so I thought I’d begin to share them with you.
Lesson one – Activity does not necessarily indicate life.
Throughout my life I have often assumed that as long as I was active in church, as long as I was checking all my “good girl” boxes, I was living the life meant for me.
Same with churches I’ve been involved with. As long as the calendar is full, everything must be okay, right? I thought that we must be on the right track if we are a church filled with activities and good deeds. I thought that we must be alive in Christ because we were active.
What I’m learning though is that activity and life are not the same. Growth indicates life. Fruit reveals life, not just a flurry of activity.
Think about it, every Saturday I could go into my back yard, pick up a dead branch and shake it around. The branch would be active every Saturday, but it would still be dead. In order for the branch to be alive, it must be attached to the tree. It must have a life source.
In order for me to be alive, I have to be attached to my Life Source as well.
Jesus says in John 15:4-7, “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.”
I am to remain attached to my Life Source, my Vine, my Jesus. That’s the only way I am truly alive. That’s the only way any ministry is truly alive.
Activity does not equal life.
I pray moving forward that I remember this lesson well. I pray I remember that even when I’m active, if I am not drawing every ounce of strength from my Lord, nothing of worth is taking place. Without a Life Source, everything will be like branches that are dried up and withered that are only good for a very brief flash of light. I don’t know about you, but I am so sick of the small flashes of light. We are called to be reflections of the glory of a God who lights up every inch of heaven, not a flash.
So, let’s ask ourselves, “Am I truly alive in Christ? Am I depending on Him for every resource? Or, am I okay with just being active?”
Lesson One – Activity does not indicate life.
** Photo by livingprepared.blogspot.com
A Seeking Heart 