“I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth more fruit: for without me you can do nothing.”
These are very strong words: “I am the vine, you are the branches” and “without me you can do nothing.” This doesn’t look like Jesus wants to be on the periphery of our lives, but at the very center of our lives. In fact, Jesus wants to be the real ruler of our lives. This doesn’t mean that He would be mean about ruling our lives, but He indeed wants to rule in our hearts and minds. Jesus wants to really make a difference in our lives. The question in this article is: “Is Jesus making a difference in your life.” Is He making a difference in the direction of your life? There is something in the Bible called “the will of God.” When Paul was on his second missionary journey in Acts, he wanted to go into Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit said "no." Then He had a vision of a man from Macedonia who said, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” Paul went to Macedonia in obedience to the will of God. Following God’s will is what it means for Jesus to make a difference in the direction of your life. Throughout the Bible, it was important for people to do what God told them to do, such as, Moses and Joshua. Furthermore, Jesus made a difference in the lives of His disciples (except for Judas, of course) because all of them had to give up their professions to follow Jesus. I have discovered in my own life that it does not take anything away from me to do what Jesus wants me to do. What I have discovered is that if I don’t follow His direction, I end up making a mess. Needless to say I have made a few messes in my life. I will probably make more, though I am bound to run out of time after awhile, but I really try to stay close to Him and follow His directions for my life. Is He making a difference in the time that you spend with Him in prayer and in His word? This is a recurring theme in my writing, and that is because these two disciplines are of utmost importance. Actually, it took me a while in my ministry to effectively develop these disciplines in my life, but when I did, I found that it made a big difference in my life and certainly in my ministry. Another thing that I have discovered is that prayer is talking to Jesus about my life, and listening with my heart for what He wants of me. It is a joy to know that I can be perfectly honest with Him about my life. Like me, you need to know that you can talk to Him about anything. I have also discovered that it makes a difference when I pray for other people. It usually makes as much a difference in my life as it does in theirs. For example, when I really have a problem with a person, I put them at the top of my prayer list. Without fail, the Lord works in both of our lives. I am being personal here to show you what difference prayer can make in your life. As for the Bible, you need to find the time to read it through. If you have never done that, read through the New Testament first. All of it will not be exciting, and all of it will not be boring, but all of it will be important to your life. Is He making a difference in your relationships with people? I covered that a little in the paragraph above, but I need to expand on it because if you don’t have good relationships with people, especially Christians, Jesus is not making the difference in your life that He should be making. Dealing with other people is one of life’s greatest challenges, and this is particularly true of Christians. Let’s just face it, some people get on our nerves – or as we might say “our last nerve.” As Christians, we just have to remember that the New Testament gives us only one thing that we can do with people, and that is to love them. Take my word for it, it will always be a challenge, but it is worth the effort. Some of the people that I thought would be the hardest to love, have ended up being good friends. You just need to remember that if Jesus is making a difference in your life, you will make a real effort to have good relationships with people – even people who are difficult to love. Is Jesus making a difference in your life? Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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