It’s Not Me
I am the Vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15:5
There is a line used so often in movies, TV shows and real life that is has become not just a cliché but a joke. Although it may truly, seriously fit a situation, most of us would hesitate to use it due to its hackneyed state. The line is, “It’s not you: it’s me.”
Just a few moments ago in prayer I realized a bit of growth in my life. I was very happy to see that change. To me that says I’m on the right path. As I noted it in my journal I wrote, “Praise God!” Why? Because it’s not me…. It’s Him! The changes may be taking place in my life but the truth is, I could never realize this improvement on my own. There is a lot more in it for me, in worldly terms, in the short run, if I stay where I’ve been. To be closer to God, to be a better witness, a better person, I need that change.
The way I see it we are in the deepest sin when we think we aren’t sinning. When any of us can look in a mirror and think, “Wow, I am doing so well. I’m so much better than those poor sinners in my family/workplace/church.” That is when the trouble is really brewing. Another side of that dangerous coin is when someone thinks, “Look how far I’ve come.” And ascribes that to some effort of their very own. We are the branches, not the vine. On our own, we can wither and die. Cut off from the vine we are useless as well as powerless. Attached to the vine we can grow and bear fruit.
Attached to the Vine we cannot be defeated.
I’m not who I want to be, but I’m not who I used to be either. PRAISE GOD! Sometimes I think about my life or meet someone who reminds me of me in some ways but is so different in other ways. Then I realize that I am who I am due to the precious grace of God.
It is a lovely and life giving twist of that tired old cliché. It’s not me; it’s You, as in You, God of the universe. If I ever begin to get the “big head” as my Irish Gram used to say, that is all I need to bring me back to reality. He is the Vine. I am merely a branch and without Him I can do nothing.
There is a line used so often in movies, TV shows and real life that is has become not just a cliché but a joke. Although it may truly, seriously fit a situation, most of us would hesitate to use it due to its hackneyed state. The line is, “It’s not you: it’s me.”
Just a few moments ago in prayer I realized a bit of growth in my life. I was very happy to see that change. To me that says I’m on the right path. As I noted it in my journal I wrote, “Praise God!” Why? Because it’s not me…. It’s Him! The changes may be taking place in my life but the truth is, I could never realize this improvement on my own. There is a lot more in it for me, in worldly terms, in the short run, if I stay where I’ve been. To be closer to God, to be a better witness, a better person, I need that change.
The way I see it we are in the deepest sin when we think we aren’t sinning. When any of us can look in a mirror and think, “Wow, I am doing so well. I’m so much better than those poor sinners in my family/workplace/church.” That is when the trouble is really brewing. Another side of that dangerous coin is when someone thinks, “Look how far I’ve come.” And ascribes that to some effort of their very own. We are the branches, not the vine. On our own, we can wither and die. Cut off from the vine we are useless as well as powerless. Attached to the vine we can grow and bear fruit.
Attached to the Vine we cannot be defeated.
I’m not who I want to be, but I’m not who I used to be either. PRAISE GOD! Sometimes I think about my life or meet someone who reminds me of me in some ways but is so different in other ways. Then I realize that I am who I am due to the precious grace of God.
It is a lovely and life giving twist of that tired old cliché. It’s not me; it’s You, as in You, God of the universe. If I ever begin to get the “big head” as my Irish Gram used to say, that is all I need to bring me back to reality. He is the Vine. I am merely a branch and without Him I can do nothing.
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