NOT BY OURSELVES
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John 15:1-11 (NRSV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
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They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
- Psalm 1:3 (NRSV)
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A crisp late-spring morning was ideal for hiking in the mountains. As our group started out on a hard eight-hour hike, our view of the valley and the distant Alps was breathtaking.
Not long after the beginning of our hike, I badly twisted my ankle. I could not continue, so I decided to wait for my friends. On their way back, they would take care of me. I prepared for hours alone.
The time of forced rest gave me an opportunity to look around. Nearby was an impressive, overhanging tree. Its huge roots and powerful trunk reminded me of Psalm 1:3, which says that those who follow God's ways are "like trees planted by streams of water."
We are like the tree. Through our roots, we are nourished. When we sink our roots deep into the word of life, we grow strong, we reach out for freedom in the sky, we give shelter, and we bear the fruit of faith. But nothing happens without God's help.
Prayer: God of life, our strength and our hope, we praise you. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God nurtures us with the truth, as water nurtures a tree.
-- Giunio Censi (Lombardia, Italy)
PRAYER FOCUS: Those not firmly rooted in faith