One of those days when I was outside way longer than I envisaged, I decided to get creative and find things in my surroundings to engage me. Then I spotted this twig that had probably fallen off the branch of a tree just by my feet.
It must have been cut off from the tree for awhile because,it had lost it bright brown color, it looked dried up. So I thought to myself, “let me try to break it”. I made up my mind to break the poor thing with my foot placed on it in a way that it could break easily.
I thought to myself, poor thing! It had been detached from its branch where it could have taken in nutrients to stay healthy and alive and not look so lifeless. It had been exposed to the cold, heat and different kinds of feet must have trampled on it. Plus I would not have been able to break it so easily with my foot if it was still attached to its branch on the tree.
I was reminded of Jesus’s word there-
He says to us that He is the vine and we are the branches and only those who remain in Him and Him in them can accomplish much and really thrive.
John 15:5-7
Sadly, many of us may just be like that twig at risk of being trampled upon by the enemy who may become bored and want to engage himself.
Or we probably have been detached from our branch a long time ago or maybe it happened recently and we have stopped feeding and taking in nutrients from our roots if only we stayed connected or attached to our branch.
I thought about many things in that moment and I will try my best to bring everything together.
I was reminded about a yoruba movie I had seen at a group meeting a couple of years back. The movie illustrated to us how the Kingdom of darkness operates, how people in this realm move up the ladder and in rankings. They move up the ladder by the amount & gravity of “bitter tears” they are able to bring into the cauldron. For example, one who is able to cause “bitter tears” in the lives of 100 people at one goal will probably get promoted faster than one that brings in the bitter tears of only one person.
It is all games for them in that realm, they have lost any sense of humanity that there can ever be. So they just go around looking for people to steal from, kill or destroy. John 10:10
Although this is a movie, it is the reality and I am convinced about the mode of operations in that realm.
Just as there is the Kingdom of darkness, God’s Kingdom exists and the goal of this Kingdom is to save souls, save lives from the claws of the devil and his cohort.
God loves us so much, that He sent His only begotten to pay the price for our salvation. Jesus has done the hardest part, what we need to do is accept Him into our lives and abide in Him. Because when we abide in Him, there is assurance of divine protection. Psalm 91:1
Divine Protection is not the only thing to enjoy from abiding in Jesus and allowing Him to abide in us.
Companionship is something that we get to enjoy as well. Walking and talking with Jesus is such a beautiful experience that I would love everybody on earth to experience!
Don’t be that lonely twig that is cut of from it’s branch susceptible to trampling by the enemy. Jesus is calling you home, calling you back to find your place on the tree of life.
More than often we try and work so hard to figure out this life with our understanding and sometimes end up being frustrated. But Jesus is saying to us,
Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Jesus is our source of life, it was through Him that we were created-John 1:1-4. How else if not through Him are we able to live our lives maximally.
That is why He admonishes us to remain in Him and allow Him to dwell richly in us so that He is able to direct us, help us to identify what we have been called to do on this earth and not end up fatigued all the time and frustrated.
In summary:
Amongst the many perks of living a life in Christ and with Christ, these are a few.
- The ability and capacity to live a rich and satisfying life- John 10:10
- A life that enjoys divine protection- John 10:11-14. Jesus tells here how He is willing to sacrifice it all to protect us, He deeply and truly cares for us that much.
- A life that lives and fulfills purpose- John 15:5
- A life that receives answers to prayers. John 15:7
- Ultimately, the gift to spend eternity in heaven- John 15:6