Jesus said to his disciples: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of what I have said to you. 4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. 5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.†           John 15:1-5 (CEV)
I need Jesus every minute of every day.
- I needed His strength to get out of bed this morning.
- I asked Jesus to direct me in what He wanted me to do today.
- I asked Him to guard my mouth that I would only eat what was good for me today and no un-lovely words would come out of it.
- I found out a cousin died today and when my heart broke with sadness, I asked God to comfort her family today and in the days and weeks ahead. I also remembered some good times when I was a child that I had not thought about in many years.
- The simple meals we had today were good tasting I think because we asked God’s blessings and thanked Him for His provision.
- I had several decisions today that it was good to take just one minute to ask God for His wisdom. The answers have a peace that no matter the outcome, we invited God to direct and so there is an assurance that we are not alone.
- I thought of my family who are far away and it was a comfort to ask God, who was right there with them, to bless them with whatever they needed and draw them closer to Him.
- And when I laid down to sleep, any worries or burdens from the day are turned over to Him. It makes sleep much more restful!
When I embrace the truth of how much I need my LORD, I begin to see Him in the tiny moments of my life the way I used to see Him in the mega-moments. And praise comes more readily to my lips. Does this mean that my life becomes this Utopia here on earth? Hardly. But even in the difficult moments (or weeks!) I can know that I am still connected to His vine and know His peace that is like nothing I have ever known. I can begin to understand how Paul wrote that he rejoiced in his weaknesses because it was in those terribly weak times that he realized just how God showed just how very strong He is (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
I Need Thee Every Hour written by Annie S. Hawks & Robert Lowry, sung by Sam Robson
