A Branch and a Bride
Friday, 18 May 2012 01:23
The Bible gives us two interesting pictures of our relationship with Jesus: (1) A branch. 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.' Jesus wants to be as close to you as a branch is to a vine. One is an extension of the other. It's impossible to tell where one starts and the other ends. The branch isn't connected only at the moment of bearing fruit. The gardener doesn't keep branches in a box and then, on the day he wants grapes, glue them to the vine. No, the branch constantly draws nutrition from the vine. Separation means certain death. (2) A bride. (2 Corinthians 11:2) Aren't we the bride of Christ? Haven't we made vows to Him, and hasn't He made vows to us? What does our marriage to Christ imply? For one thing, the communication never stops. In a happy home a husband doesn't talk to his wife only when he wants something. He doesn't pop in just when he wants a good meal or a clean shirt or a little romance. Healthy marriages have a sense of 'remaining'. There is tenderness, honesty, ongoing communication. Sometimes we go to God with our joys, sometimes we go with our hurts, but we always go. And the more we go, the more we become like Him. People who live long lives together eventually begin to sound alike, talk alike and even think alike. As we walk with Jesus we take on His thoughts, His principles, His attitudes. Indeed, we take on His heart.
SoulFood: Deut 8-10, Mark 10:13-22, Ps 88:1-9a, Pr 11:24-26
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2012
