Henry T. Blackaby: Communion, Fellowship, and Service

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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. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. John 15:5-8

“As God’s obedient child, you are in a love relationship with Him. In His timing, He will show you where He is working so you can join Him. Don’t be in a hurry to be constantly engaged in activities for God. He may spend years preparing your character or developing your love relationship with Him before He gives you a large assignment. Don’t get discouraged if the task or “call” does not come immediately. Remain faithful in what He has told you to do, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it may appear. God knows what He is doing. Focus on deepening your communion with God, and out of that fellowship will inevitably flow effective service for God.”

Henry T. Blackaby in Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, revised and expanded with Richard Blackaby and Claude King (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2008) 121. Thanks for your prayers. God worked powerfully at Bethel International Church in five services in NYC yesterday and I am flying back to Colorado this morning.

As we think about remaining in the love of Christ in preparation for Advent, we must remind ourselves that magnificent service with God in the future only flows out of mundane faithfulness in seemingly insignificant areas with God in the present. So, in plain terms, if we want our lives to exhibit greater Christian generosity during Advent, in 2019, and the years to come, it starts with communion, fellowship, and service with Him right where we are at today.

That can be hard for many of us to swallow, especially if we feel like we are in a transitional season and ready for the next assignment God has for us. This is where I find myself with regard to about half of my bandwidth. I think I am ready to be deployed for some new global tasks but He has not yet chosen to resource the way. So I wait, fast and pray. The answer is never to take matters into my own hands but to remain and ask following the pattern in today’s Scripture.

To make this point using the image of the vine, Jesus wants us to stay connected to Him, the vine, so the fruit on our branches can ripen and mature. That takes time. So, take a few minutes today to thank God for nourishing and sustaining your branch, then ask for what you desire in prayer, and acknowledge your trust in the Father to work in you so your life bears fruit and in so doing brings glory to the Father, who is the vinedresser. Hear our prayers, Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen.