“I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. HE WHO ABIDES IN ME, AND I IN HIM, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.” —JOHN 15:5
I often read these words out loud, highlight them, and underline them, whatever it takes to remind myself: My purpose in life is revealed as I abide in Him.
The apostle Paul knew this. One of the greatest revelations of his life was, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). The opposite of that is, without Christ, we can do nothing of lasting and real value.
Our Christian life is not about what we humans can do for God. We put so much pressure on ourselves to perform and to do.
Our purpose is revealed as we realize what He has done for us.
God’s will is manifested in two ways: The perfect will of God and the permissive will of God.
If we could push a magic button to see what God has in store for us if we follow His perfect will and give ourselves entirely to it, we would be so blown away and inspired that we wouldn’t be able to humble ourselves fast enough as we realize the great and wonderful things God wants to do in our lives.
Then there’s His permissive will. God gave us a marvelous attribute called free will. He allows us to choose not to follow His perfect plan. He permits us to take matters into our own hands.
But let me tell you a secret, learned after twenty-some years of counseling disillusioned people. Life’s disappointments are always the result of following our understanding. Rather than follow God’s path, we take our own and then wonder why life didn’t turn out quite the way we thought it should.
There is hope, however, even when we stray from God’s perfect will. The Bible promises us, “All things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Most of us, if we’re honest, think, well, most things turn out OK. Somehow, we’ll muddle through. But Paul wrote that ALL things work together for good, we can do ALL things through Christ, and we can abide in Him and experience great joy.
