Apart From Me

" We can face whatever circumstances await us with courage if we just reflect on God's faithfulness and place our confidence in His great power and loving purpose for our lives. "
                                                                                                                         David Jeremiah


     Life can be extremely difficult at times. It can seem as if uncertainties and turmoil sweep through our lives like a tsunami. One minute life is calm and serene and the sun shines brightly, only to be interrupted by a threatening storm that seeks to usurp all that we know and understand. These are the moments in my life when my face hits the carpet in prayer to try to get the answers to life's many enigmas.

     As I was seeking answers this past weekend to a myriad of questions, my eyes consistently landed on three words contained in a particular verse of scripture. The three simple words were "apart from Me".  Determined to find all the verses that contain this phrase, I was astonished to only find three.

     The first verse I found was: " Apart from Me there is no God". ( Isaiah 44:6). This verse depicts the role and blessing of God, in the form of His Holy Spirit. Along with the previous verses, this scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit will refresh, cleanse, and make the earth fruitful. Just as He blesses our soul, so shall He bring forth all other blessings.  The plentiful outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit is available to multitudes in these latter days. In conjunction with the Divine prophecies come the Divine purposes of God and they are given power through His Holy Spirit. Who can compare with this Redeemer and King?

     The second verse says, " Apart from Me there is no Savior". ( Isaiah 43:11). Today, through Jesus, we have been given so many blessings. The most important gift God gives to us is salvation through the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. In addition to that, we have been given the power of His grace, the sweetness of His comfort, the loving care of His providence, and the truth of His promises. Who could find a Savior like this?

     The final verse I found was in The New Testament.  It states, " Apart from Me, you can do nothing". ( John 15:5). Since our lives are hidden in Christ ( the True Vine), our strength and sustenance are found in Him.  Because of the wisdom and care of our Heavenly Father, it is true that our lives must prosper and be fruitful. While it is not always easy to recognize the instrinsic value of our lives, it can be tempting to view them as less valuable as what God declares they are. This is when our vision needs to focus on the One who gives breath and value to His creation.

     Meditating on these verses helped to restore vision to my life.  My circumstances pale in comparison to my relationship with the One who redeems all things. When I allow impatience and discouragement to trump God's redemptive purposes, I lose sight of all that is truly important and worthy of my thoughts.

     When the opposition in our lives is raging, too often I begin to hone in on the specifics of what I see. Until I remember:  when I instead meditate on God's faithfulness and power and loving purpose in my life, vision and courage are restored.

     The thing is, not only are we called to walk by faith, there are times when we are called to have enduring faith. The word "endure" means "to sustain without yielding".  These are the times in our lives that are the most intense, the most frightening, and the task at hand appears to be daunting.  Martin Luther describes the purpose of these times as follows: "Where the battle rages, there the
loyalty of the soldier is proved."

     There are seasons that occur on this planet, and there are seasons that occur in our individual lives. Right now, in the western part of the U.S., there is a drought and record high temperatures. On the east coast, however, there have been record amounts of snowfall and flooding. At first glance, it would appear that there is no rhyme or reason to these occurrences, until we stop to remember that there truly is One who is sovereign over it all.

     The parable of the mustard seed addresses these issues.  When Jesus was asked, " What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to ?"  He answered, " It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden.  It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches." ( Luke 13:18-19).

     This would appear to be an odd analogy of the kingdom of God.  And yet, the interpretation is rich with insight and wisdom.  God is telling us not to be discouraged that there are not more believers on this planet right now, but to look forward to the day when His kingdom will be a large tree. ( The tiniest of seeds will ultimately grow into a tree that has a height of twelve to fifteen feet !).

     In this parable, Jesus wants His disciples to open their spiritual eyes to: the nature of His kingdom, His Lordship, and His return.  The principle is that when we  accept Christ into our hearts, He plants a mustard seed in it.  How well it grows depends upon our obedience and our willingness to pay the price of true surrender.

     What we allow God to do within us, will ultimately be poured out through us by His power.  It is God's desire to show the world what He can accomplish, even through one obedient child.  This is because He longs to touch the world with His power, and He chooses to include His children in this glorious event.

     We advance God's kingdom through faith.  Our goal should be to love others from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.  It is the enduring faith, coupled with God's multiplication  power and strategy,  that yields the largest harvest. ( Luke 19:11-27).

     The caveat is that we will never be able to produce autonomously. Jesus will forever be the sower of the good seed.  Only when we abide in Him can we bear the wait and can we bear the fruit.  Kenneth Wuest ( 1893- 1962), who  was one of the foremost Greek scholars of his time,  translates the word abide as " to maintain a living communion". This means that we continually: look for God, acknowledge Him, express our gratitude to Him, and expect that He is always faithful to commune with us.

      The kingdom of God is represented by the tree, and Jesus is represented as the True Root.  God is the husbandman who meticulously cares for the tree.  The children of God are the branches. As we abide in Him, He reveals to us that we are here to change the world. And, right now, change is exactly what is needed!
    
     The needs in this world are currently overwhelming.  And, God is passionate about each and every one of them. Just a few of the statistics are as follows:
                                  
                                       * Every 7 seconds, 2 people die from hunger
                                       * !.7 billion people do not have clean water to drink
                                       * 300 million children do not have even one pair of shoes
                                       * One-fourth of the worlds population does not have electricity
                                       * 680 million people have never heard about Jesus

     Though the battle rages, the gates of hell will not prevail. By ourselves we can accomplish nothing, but with Christ we can do ALL things! God longs to bless us so that we can be a blessing to the world and extend His kingdom.

     Like the mustard seed, God does not accomplish these purposes in us overnight.  Sometimes, we are even called to water our seed with our tears. However, as we continue to walk in obedience, following hard after Him, our seed will become a mature tree. This is when we are equipped to provide shade, refuge, and rest for those who are in need. This is when God uses us to change the world!


      We should keep  "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith".   ( Hebrews 12:2).