John 15:5 (NKJV): “…for without Me you can do nothing.”

After my grandfather’s funeral my great niece asked, “Why are so many people dying in our family?” We were all still at the cemetery standing near my father and mothers tombstone. There was a silence – a thought provoking silence. As I looked around to see who would answer this pure and genuine question, I asked God the same. With no ready response from anyone, the Lord led me to answer her. We can’t account nor estimate when God will call our name. What we can do is live every day as though He will. This is what was taught to us and thankfully the bodies we bury aren’t subject to the ground, the grave, nor final death but to an eternal glory. I went on to say we need Jesus and the importance of Him coming to save us from sin and how He will be coming back. She smiled as if she understood. Everyone silently looked in agreement with what was spoken to her. I pray she did but even in that moment, I realized how much I needed God.

It’s easy to regurgitate scripture. God isn’t impressed with our impersonation of a Christian. He’s seeking those who truly desire to live whole heartedly for Him in every circumstance. How can we bless The Lord at all times if we only love Him in select times? The focal scripture speaks about Jesus being the True Vine. That in Him we have the ability to bear much fruit. Fruit that comes from being pruned by Him and that outside of Him we can do nothing. Yes, we may appear to be doing plenty of great and helpful things in our own minds. In all honesty, none of that matters without God’s mighty Hand helping and guiding our actions. Blessing God at all times comes from a space that is more than desperation but divine attachment. Now that we are connected to the True Vine, our response to situations that look unfavorable to our natural eye is blessing our Father. With understanding from Holy Spirit, we can now see that this is how much fruit begins to produce. We can’t produce much if He isn’t pruning us. That pruning may look like frequent deaths.

Job knows about this all too well. In fact, he did not have The Comforter as we do to help him while mourning. His understanding of God’s Sovereignty and humility to respond by crying out to God showed that we can’t even grieve properly without Him. I ask do we really need God in the title because many are being deceived that there is a great and soft life without Him. There is a great life without Jesus – a life filled with great sorrow, great deception, and great hopelessness. This is why it states that wide is the way to hell because of how great the lies are to capture the hearts of those who refuse to believe in Jesus by living for Him. The word live is found in the word believe. So, we can’t truly believe something we do not live out and there is no way to live for Christ without understanding how much we need Him. There is a path that leads to life and Jesus is the only Way to walk it Psalm 16:11.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to be the Mediator for our sin. That in Him we are connected divinely to you. We recognize that we are lost and completely unable to truly live without You. Thank You for being everything we could ever ask for and need. In Jesus Name, Amen.