“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit.”——Jude
1:20
The human body can
not live without water. A vehicle
requires oil to function. Likewise, to have a vital union with Christ our relationship
with Him must be maintained. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 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.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you
desire and it shall be done for you. By
this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My
disciples” (John 15:4, 5,7).
Christians can
become spiritually weak. Jesus said in
John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives
life; the flesh profits nothing. The
words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.” To become spiritually strong, we must daily
feast on His Word. The consequences to
the flesh of not eating and drinking can lead to extreme malnutrition and
death. Because of not eating and drinking
of the spiritual manna (the Word of God and drinking of His Spirit), we may not
die spiritually; however, as a result, we will be stunted in our spiritual
development and not be able to produce any fruit.
I encourage you to read the book of Jude,
so that you may discover several ways that prevent spiritual malnourishment and
to maintain your life with God.
The following are some maintenance procedures that we can do:
·
Do not
allow your heart to become selfish, seeing only the temporal.
·
Be
compassionate to others. In doing so,
you not only help them, but you enrich your life in Christ because you are
acting on His behalf and making His heart part of your own.
·
Above
all, do not forget His promises; they are what make His love for you so sure.
Prayer—Father
I ask You to forgive me for not maintaining my relationship with You. Holy
Spirit I ask You to examine my heart and show me areas where I need to improve,
and I ask You for Your help so that I can produce fruit in Your Everlasting Kingdom,
in Jesus Name. Amen.
