Thought- “God’s presence is a great fountain of energy & beauty spurting up at the very center of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you; if you are not, you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die.” -C.S. Lewis from the book “Mere Christianity”
Scripture- “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
Insight: I absolutely love the mental picture drawn by CS Lewis in the Thought of the Day above. It is one that characterizes the fruits that are naturally born from a personal relationship to God. CS Lewis explains that when we are in a close, intimate and personal relationship with Christ, we are tapping into the most beautiful and fulfilling energy that exists in the Universe. We are literally ‘wetted by the spray’ of that relationship. On the other hand, if through a hardened heart and foolish pride we choose to ignore God and pretend He doesn’t exist, we are left dry and barren, which eventually leads to us withering up and dying. This is such a profound thought, yet very much in line with the teaching we find in John 15.
John 15 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because it speaks to the best way to view our relationship to God from our mere human experience, and that is we are branches and He is the Vine. Look at a strong tree in nature, or a flourishing vineyard, and you can easily see the symbiotic relationship that naturally flows when a branch is safely and securely connected to the Vine. A branch doesn’t have to labor or spin in order to gain the benefits, it reaps them just because of its connection to the Vine. But a branch disconnected from the Vine cannot live, and it soon withers and dies. That is why as Christians, we must also be so connected to God, through His word, prayer and meditation that His power and energy begins to naturally flow through us, without our need to labor or focus on our exertion to achieve a result. It is achieved naturally over time simply as a result of our proximity and because the power of His energy washes over us. If we are close enough, as CS Lewis says, we will even be able to feel the “spray wet us.” What a great visual to carry with us as we travel through a life that otherwise demands us to run faster and faster, like Gerbils on a treadmill, until eventually we collapse from the exertion of trying to meet other’s expectations.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you that you are the Vine and we are the branches. All we need to do is remain in you, through proximity, and you will provide all we need through the energy and power of your Vine to carry us through life, and even to fully enjoy the amazing energy that exists with you at the very Center of our lives. We thank you in Jesus name. Amen!