Its Time

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

John 9:2-4 (KJV)

With the revelation of the son of man comes the manifestation. The seed is sown in corruption and it goes through transformation with the vine coming forth as the source and the branches taking shape in the space of time. Out of the branches comes the manifestation and appearance of the fruits. Many good to the eyes and for edification of the body.

Once we have been revealed by the Lord our Maker, it is time for manifestation, the display of good works and administration of His Kingdom here on earth. In your walk and ways, in your vocation, in your plans, in your home, in all ways, you must manifest to the glory of God.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Connection

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[b] ask what
you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
John 5:1-8 (NKJV)

The existence of life hinges on a source of livelihood. Through this source flows all the means of life, nourishment, and energy needed to blossom and flourish. To be disconnected from a renewal or replenishment source only prescribes extinction in a matter of time. The power of connection, 'the right connection' is a prerequisite and necessary condition for fulfilling purpose and destiny. The knowledge of this simple truth can release and set us forth to a life of fulfillment.

Are you connected to the Creator and Maker? Are you connected to a vibrant body of believers? These connections are crucial for reaching our full potential and fulfillment. Never go it alone, remain connected to the Vine and you will never risk extinction or withering and decaying without trace.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Remain in the flow

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
John 15:1-8 (NKJV)

The branch, the Vine and VineDresser picture tells it all. We are blessed beyond our imagination, we flourish like the tree by the waters whose fruit comes forth at its due season and nourished always without lacking any good thing in life... All because we stay and remain connected to the Vine, the true and real source of all we have. We remain in the flow because we live a God-dependent life and remain fruitful always. An independent mindset and world view soon gets into trouble, running out of sorts and going from one plague, famine, recession, depression, suppression, emergency, etc to the other... all because a severed or disconnected branch from the Vine soon experiences the elements and ends up withering and drying up in no time. There's so much and how far that we can go all by ourselves.

We can do nothing by ourselves, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Are you in the flow?

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Staying connected

Friends,

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 [NKJV]

Think back to your close friends from school. During those days, you'd be inseparable; you felt like you knew everything about each other. You talked and laughed and fought and embraced. You were honest with each other. You held each other accountable.

But what happened in the intervening years and decades? You took different paths, perhaps even moving to different cities. You married. You began raising little ones. Priorities changed. And the ones who were like brothers and sisters have, through reasonable neglect, become strangers.

It is easy to lose intimate connection with Christ. And it happens in the same way. Where once He was foremost in your thoughts throughout the day, He has become an afterthought. Someone to be squeezed in between the first cup of coffee and the morning commute. And we wonder why our prayer life seems so weak, why faith seems so hard to cultivate.

Brothers and sisters, what are you doing today to nurture your relationship with the One who laid down His life for you? What has taken the Lord's place as your number one concern? Remember, He has not left nor forsaken you. He waits, patiently, for you (and me) to turn around - to repent - and seek Him. And we must do this. Because when we are apart from Him, we can do nothing. But when we are connected with Him, we can do all things through Him.

Be encouraged, Jose

Stay connected

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 (NKJV)

Part of our mandate is to flourish and show forth the goodness of the Lord in our relationships, families, communities, nation and ultimately our world. Like a light set on a top place, so must we remain and stay connected to human beings to display and fulfill our vast potential and God ordained purpose. To put a light under a hood is to kill, rubbish, and diminish its power of influence. To detach from the vine is to embark on a destructive and perishable mission.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Phillipians 4:13 (NKJV)

When we stay connected to the source and the vine, we become endowed and empowered to do all things and we are able to influence, impact and spice up our world for His kingdom reign. Stay connected and

Be encouraged,

Afolabi