Day 6 of 21 Days of Courage

John 15:1-5

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
 

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To accomplish anything of consequence in our lives, it is essential that we spend time with God. After all, if we don’t know the One who has promised to watch over us, how can we trust in His provision?

Even little babies know this. The first time you are introduced to a baby, you can stand and grin and coo and hold out your hands invitingly as much as you want, but that child is not going to go to you until his or her parent gives assurance, by word or by touch, that it’s okay. Why? Because the child knows and trusts the parent implicitly. The parent and the child have spent time together; the child knows the parent will not willingly bring danger into the environment. It has been proven over and over.

This is true of just about any relationship you can think of. The deepest trust comes as a result of the greatest investment of time together. In a marriage, in parenting, in a work relationship, in church leadership, in friendship, on a team, in a musical group—you name it. You learn to trust people by spending lots of time with them, by getting to know them.

In the same way, in order to develop a deep and lasting trust in God, you have to spend time with Him. You have to spend time reading His word and conversing with Him in prayer.

If you want to live a life of confidence and purpose, you have to find ways to stay connected with Jesus, day to day and moment to moment. You need to build into your daily routine times of intimacy with Christ, breathing His spirit deeply into your being.

Will you take a few moments today just to slow down? To acknowledge the fact that there’s a good God who actually wants to be with you? Maybe even right now, pray something like this: God I believe you’re a Good God. I want to trust you in greater ways in my life. I want to develop the kind of trust that instills confidence and purpose into my entire life. Help me today to look for new and unique opportunities to just acknowledge your presence.

Maybe it will be in a sunset, or in an incredible meal you share with friends, or in a verse you read, or an unexpected encouraging conversation you have, but keep your eyes open. Look for God’s invitation for you to connect with Him from moment to moment.

-Pete