“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
“The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.”
Hudson Taylor as recounted by David George in The Daily Thought Shaker (Bloomington: WestBow Press, 2014) reading for 8 July.
My 14-day GTP trip to Brazil, Chile, and Panama has been unfathomably fruitful.
I had plenty of opportunities to worry and most of the time, found peace in abiding in Christ and watching the Spirit work for the glory of the Father in heaven. And God answered prayer and produced fruit that I could have never imagined.
If you want a copy of my trip report, reply and I will gladly share it.
For example, on the last day we took the group (37 from 14 countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, and USA) to the Panama Canal.
We only had 90 minutes there and got to watch a ship go through the Miraflores Locks. It’s pictured above setting out to the Pacific. This offers an image of the fruits on the trip.
We will launch new peer accountability groups (like ECFA in USA) in Brazil and Panama in the next 6 months. Four others want visits to help get groups going. By convening in Panama, we accelerated the process of their formation.
Getting people together helped speed up the process, just like passage through the Panama Canal cuts days off a trip around South America. Anyway, I praise God for the fruits.
And yet GTP has real needs so I am thankful today’s Scripture reminds me to ask and trust. Join me in praise and prayer today. Let’s abide and rest in the goodness of God.