God's ImitatorsSample

You will do great things I used to have a pear tree in my backyard. Now, I may not have been very good with plants back then, but I did know that if I cut off the branches and just let them lie on the ground, they would eventually rot. I would have been foolish to expect pears to grow from branches that weren't connected to the tree trunk. Right now you're probably thinking, "Well, duh." So I have to ask, what makes us think that we can cut ourselves off from the living God and still expect good things to happen in our lives? It doesn't work that way. Jesus tells us, "I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in Me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can't produce anything without Me" (John 15:5). As a branch, you can't do anything of true, lasting value without being attached to the vine. Sure, your friends may think you're cool, you might still make a lot of money, but none of that actually matters to God. Only when you are attached to Jesus will you get all the real nutrition you need. Then you can bear the kind of fruit that brings God so much joy--serving others and praising Him.