Hey friends welcome back. It is time for the morning mindset. Time for us to get our minds aligned with the truth of God.

I want to ask you if you could do me a favor pause right now on this episode and go to the description and click the link that says survey.

I'm taking a quick survey about five questions of listeners across the world to find out what would be of benefit to you in terms of resources that we can create.

I would love to hear from you or today we are talking about our identity in Jesus and part that identity has to do with our relationship to Jesus.

We're going to look at the gospel of John chapter 15 verse number five and it says I am the vine. This is Jesus speaking. I am the vine you are the branches.

Okay so do you have that imagery in your mind. He's a vine like a grapevine growing up this big thick stalk out of the ground and you and I are the branches that are going horizontally off of that vine out onto the trellis.

And he says whoever abides in me and I in him he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

So do you have the image in your mind. Here's this beautiful grapevine growing up along the side of the trellis and these branches are going out and are attached to the trellis and they are connected to the vine.

Okay do you understand that do you see the image those branches if they are separated from that vine lose their source of vibrant life they lose their ability to thrive in fact they will dry up and become nothing but just a twig if they are broken off from that vine.

Jesus says he is that vine and you and I are the branches and when we abide in him that's an interesting word that we don't use often abide means remain connected to him or stay connected to him.

When we abide in him we bear much fruit so back to the grapevine analogy can you picture a great big cluster of juicy ripe luscious grapes hanging there.

The fruit that comes of our lives is like that cluster of grapes. He said when you stay connected to me your life is going to bear much good fruit.

Because apart from me you can do nothing.

So friends as you look at the circumstances that you face day to day whether it's in a tough marriage or as a parent trying to raise your children or help those teens navigate through those teen years.

Perhaps it's a difficult situation at work or a lack of employment lack of income perhaps it's a diagnosis that you're facing regarding your health or the health of someone you care for.

What difference does it make in your mind right now to think about you facing that circumstance and those responsibilities knowing that you are connected to Jesus Christ himself.

And that by virtue of being connected to him you are able in that circumstance to bear much good fruit.

Friends this is a transformational concept when we truly get it we understand that our ability to do anything beneficial in life is determined by how connected to Jesus we remain.

Now by connected to Jesus what do we mean what we're talking about an ongoing relationship with him it's not just some technical thing where you say a prayer at some point in time and from then on you're connected while that is true that's not really what Jesus is talking about here because he's describing this to people who were standing there in front of him in this day.

And he's not just saying you need to trusted me as your savior he's saying that even as one who trusted me as their savior you got to remain connected to me that's what he means by that word abides when you remain connected to me in your attitude in your daily seeking of him through a quiet time or a devotional time like we're doing right now you are guaranteed by Jesus that when you do that you will bear much fruit.

Jesus you know the situations that we're facing in life you know the difficulties that we encounter and you know how much we need to be reminded that we are connected to you.

Jesus teach us today in the circumstances we face how to count on you and how to count on that connection for the fruit that you want to bear in our lives.

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