Key Text: John 15:5 KJV - I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Whenever a branch is trimmed off a live tree it usually withers because it is no longer connected to its source of nutrients. The branch is never meant to be independent of the tree. Branches are expected to bear fruits, but they cannot perform this function if they are separated from the tree. In order words, without the tree, the branches cannot bear fruits.

Jesus Christ is the live tree to which every true believer is connected. If any believer is detached from Him, they will begin to whither and eventually die. Adam and Eve became spiritually dead when they disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree amid the Garden of Eden. Sin or disobedience to the commandments of the Lord separates man from Him, and should be avoided.

One of the marks that you are healthy in your relationship with God is how sensitive you are to sin. Beware, and do not allow yourself to be deceived to seek independence from the Lord: for without Jesus Christ you can do nothing. He is the source of our life, and in Him we live and move and have your being. Therefore, we must strive to stay connected to Christ by seeking to know His will and praying for the grace to do it.

Prayer: O Lord, you are my hiding place: let not the boisterous wind of life disconnect me from you, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Reflection: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God - 2 Corinthians 3:5.