Exposed

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Joh 15:5

How many times have I had to learn this; more times than I can count. When I look behind me, how much of what I've attempted to achieve, really meant anything, when placed under your scrutiny Lord. The sadness in my heart, reveals the honest answer I have to acknowledge, and accept. 

So much of what I thought was important, has proven to be chaff in the wind. Meaningless, a blip in eternity-and gone. 

You are the source of all truth, of all purpose, and all that holds my past, and my future. Every test, and every trial has served to expose the real motives for every attempt for success, or something that seemed important at the time. What was the end result- did it serve any real purpose? Was anyone helped, or encouraged to overcome in their trials or problems they faced? Did anyone hear of You, the Savior of the world, of Your greatness? How much of what I've done dissolved into dust, and only served to satisfy a lust, born of selfishness. With each of these questions reaching my heart, the reality sinks in, how much of my life has been wasted on things that mean nothing; when measured in these terms. When I examine any achievements using Your word, the light of Your truth exposes it for what it really is, whether good fruit or chaff to be burned.

​The only thing that I can bring to Your feet, is my love, and the consuming desire to know You, and be found in You, in spite of every failure, in spite of this body of clay. Without the power of the Holy Spirit-I realize I would never do anything but wrong. Anything I may ever have done to bring You any glory, has been because of the Presence of the Holy Spirit within me. It's only Him who has brought this body under obedience, and ever given You the glory You deserve.

Many times I've felt the same as David, wanting to give You honor, glory, and worship, but weary from the battles of life, and assaults of the devil, coming from many directions. He is the master of cunning deceit, trickery, and knows every way to provoke to the point of dragging us into the dirt, and falling into sin. How many times, have I found myself on my face, in the dirt. But, even there, I will praise you Lord, because with my face in the dirt, I'm forced to realize without You-this is where I will always end up, and, after all, I am but speaking dust.

Yes, even when the devil has brought me low, even to the ground-he hasn't succeeded in killing my love for You. It only grows hotter. When I'm at the lowest, I don't know why-but even there, I find you there also. I can't help but smile, and my heart leaps within me, because even in the depths, the devil can't keep you out. I sense your Presence, again, as David speaks of in his psalm:
Psa 139:8  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 
Psa 139:9  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 
Psa 139:10  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 

When I consider these verses, and the truth of them, it's impossible to not praise You. You were in the fires of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace with the three Hebrew young boys-and You've shown me, You are in the midst of my trials and the assaults of the devil. He is already a defeated foe, but won't concede to it yet. But, his time is short.

As David did when he was convicted of sin, I cling to You even more; and cry out as he did, confessing my sin before You, and asking for Your mercy, forgiveness, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Then, help me to stand again, and go on, with You before me, guiding the path for my feet, until the day You decide to take me home, and we meet face to face, held in Your embrace.

Psa 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 
Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 
Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 
Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

​Psa 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 
Psa 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 
Psa 51:13  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 
Psa 51:14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 
Psa 51:15  O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

“Without Me Ye Can Do Nothing.”

​"Be it so. Do you wish to have it altered, any of you that love His dear name? I am sure you do not: for suppose we could do something without Christ, then He would not have the glory of it. Who wishes that? If the Church could do something without Christ she would try to live without Him. As I listened to the song I began to laugh. I thought of those who are going to destroy the orthodox doctrine from off the face of the earth. They say our old theology is decaying, and that nobody believes it. It is all a lie. If His friends can do nothing without Him, I am sure His foes can do nothing against Him. I laughed, too, because I recollected a story of a New England service, when suddenly a lunatic started up and declared that he would at once pull down the meeting house about their ears. Taking hold of one of the pillars of the gallery, this newly-announced Samson repeated his threatening. Everybody rose; the women were ready to faint. There was about to be a great tumult; no one could see the end of it; when suddenly one cool brother produced a calm by a single sentence. “Let him try!” Even so today the enemy is about to disprove the gospel and crush out the doctrines of grace. Are you distressed, alarmed, astounded? So far from that, my reply is this only—Let him try!" (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Without Me Ye Can Do Nothing

Separated from me, ye can do nothing at all. God can do without man, but man cannot do without God. Following the metaphor of our Lord, it would be just as possible to do any good without him, as for a branch to live, thrive, and bring forth fruit, while cut off from that tree from which it not only derives its juices, but its very existence also.
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Nearly similar to this saying of our Lord, is that of Creeshna (the incarnate God of the Hindoos) to his disciple Arjoon: “God is the gift of charity; God is the offering: God is the fire of the altar; by God the sacrifice is performed; and God is to be obtained by him who maketh God alone the object of his works.” And again: “I am the sacrifice; I am the worship; I am the spices; I am the invocation; I am the fire; and I am the victim. I am the Father of this world, and the Preserver. I am the Holy One, worthy to be known; the mystic figure Om; (see on Joh_1:14 (note)) I am the journey of the good; the Comforter; the Creator; the Witness; the resting-place; the asylum, and the Friend. I am the place of all things; and the inexhaustible seed of nature; I am sunshine, and I am rain; I now draw in, and now let forth.” See Bhagvat Geeta, pp. 54 and 80. Could such sentiments as these ever come from any other source than Divine revelation? There is a saying in Theophilus very similar to one of those above: God is not comprehended, but he is the place of all things.  [Adam Clarke]

Corresponding scripture:
​1Jn 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 
1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 
1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 
1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.