Words by our Priest-in-Charge:

You Make a Difference

“Remain in me, and I will 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 a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15: 4 -5, NIV

Recently I received a card that read ‘You make a difference’ in bold blue letters. That card caused me to smile because it was a gentle reminder that my life was actually bearing fruit for the kingdom. (I have days when I wonder whether it does). Little reminders like this help me to keep my focus on the goal, which is to live each day for Jesus, and allow His life to outwork through mine. Earthly fame does not tempt me very much, and neither do riches. I learnt the hard way that money and possessions can’t satisfy my deepest longings. Only God can do that, and only He can help me lead a life worth living – rich with fulfilment and purpose. I believe we are all called to make a difference in this world by living fruitful lives for the kingdom. We can only do this, though, if we abide in Jesus. I challenge you to read John 15 in the Amplified version of the bible because it delivers quite a punch. The word ‘abide’ or ‘remain’ in today’s scripture verse literally means to ‘stay vitally united to.’ When I stay ‘vitally united’ to Jesus it is easy to make a difference in this world and in individual lives. Actually, it is not us making the difference anyway, but the life of Jesus in us. We can then proclaim along with the Apostle Paul that ‘it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20).

The encouraging thing about receiving this card was that I had no idea that God had used me to touch this person’s life. In fact, I didn’t think that we had spent much time together at all, or that I had said or done anything noteworthy. So I was puzzled when I received the card. Perhaps, like me, Jesus in you is impacting lives, and you don’t even know it. It would be nice to be as influential as Billy Graham, Luther King or Corrie Ten Boon, but most of us will not have such a high profile life. However, our faithful and obedient attempts to ‘love the unlovely’, to care for the orphan and the widow, to reach out with kindness in the face of hostility or indifference, to smile at a stranger, or to share a cheerful word with a discouraged heart, are just as praiseworthy. They represent the ‘fruit that will last’ that Jesus spoke about, and will bring glory to our Heavenly Father.

Adopted from Seeds of the Kingdom, a daily devotional from Ellel Ministries International