Living in Life-Union With Jesus, Our Source

Are you living connected to the Vine?

The Lord has been wooing me further into His heart by drawing me to meditate on the truths about connected to Him. And He's always so timely, right?! I'm in a season of making lots of decisions that will impact the future so now more than ever I'm aware of my need for being connected to Jesus my  soure of my life and light! I believe He's calling us all-- whether we're homeschooling, working from home, or educating students in a private or public school, to live in life-union with our Creator, the One who knows our own hearts better than we do. (Isn't that a tender thought? I feel seen, loved, and heard by my Father God just considering this truth. See Psalm 139) 

Mathew 11:28-30 TPT says, 

"Are you weary and carring a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you'll discover that I'm gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear." 

Jesus is calling us to come to himself, the oasis of refreshment. [pause]. He wants to refresh each one of us in His presence. He wants us to learn His ways. Oh to know the ways of God, right?! The older I grow, the more I realize how BIG God is-- there's always more to know of His heart, His nature, and His grace for me and my family. He is so kind and gentle of heart. 

It says in verse 29, "Learn my ways and you'll discover that I'm gentle, humble, easy to please." Wow. Jesus is gentle. Jesus is humble. Jesus says he's easy to please. That means that any ounce (or pound!!) of striving to earn His love within my being needs to surrender to the reality that He's not looking for me to perform. He's looking for me to come to Him, the Rock that is higher than I! He's looking for my "YES" to worship Him, to abide in Him. [pause] Take a moment to reread verse 29. Are there areas you need to surrender that are "trying" too hard? Areas that have got caught in looking good to God? Let His gentle love wash over you right now.

Joining our life to Jesus is like hooking up to a powerful breathing machine that make the colors of creation even brighter. 

Your eyes open up as you breathe in the goodness of God's character-- all He wants to be for you right now, in this season. I don't know about you, but I'm seeing specks of fall leaves gaining their bright colors. Imagine the leaves being brighter this year! Every care becomes lighter because we now realize He's holding the whole world in His hands (just like my grandpa used to sing to me when I was little). God's still holding you and me, and all we're holding, too. He's crying out for us to lay down all the cares: the bills, our jobs, our relationships, our kids, our students, the planning, the health concerns, the groceries, the cooking, the cleaning, our communities, our churches.... all of it. What if we let go of the heavy load connected to "doing," and entered into a new space that included more of the breath of God? The place where we could breathe in the colors of delight in what each  of us has been called to in this season? That would be so transformative for all of us! [pause] What if lightness (leaving the heaviness at Jesus feet) simply required being in constant life-union with our Savior? 

He cares for you. 

"I am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest. The words I have spoken over you have already cleansed you. So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intiamately joined to mine." 

John 15:1-4 TPT 

What I hear from this passage is that our Good Father tends to us. He cares for all the facets of our inner and outer lives. He lifts and props up the places that aren't fruitful-- the places that need rejuvenating, healing-- both emotional and physical, the areas that need to dream and hope again, etc. And He cares enough to prune back those branches that are fruitful so that we yield even more in the places that are fruitful!! Pruning is so counter intuitive at the time, but haven't we all seen how when you trim back a bush or tree how it grows even more flowers, fruit, or healthier branches the next season? (This is the best way I've found to keep some of my trees and bushes alive here with the extreme weather fluxes in in Kansas!) Jesus says his words have cleansed us. We're free of sin, sickness, and the grave. His cleansing which is the work of salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection has saved us and now we're called to remain in life-union with Him because He says He remains in life-union with us. Even when we've forgotten to remain connected, He's been right next to us waiting to reconnect. He's stayed with us. [pause] It makes me want to belt out the song, "Great is Your Faithfulness!" 

Jesus is asking for fellowship with you.

"I am the sprouting vine and you're my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you--but when you lives seperated from me you are powerless. If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. But if you live in life-union with me and if my words lives powerfully within you--then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done." John 15: 5-7 TPT

When I think of the meaning of "life-union" I think of being together, connected, or even becoming one-- in many ways like a biblical marriage is supposed to look. Two people become one. Jesus wants to marry us-- after all it does say in scripture that He's the bridegroom and we (the church) is the bride (John 3:29, Rev 22:17). Even on an individual level, Jesus wants to live in life-union with us-- He wants to provide us nourishment like a sprouting vine does for it's branches. He wants to be our source so that fruitfulness for His Kingdom will stream out of our lives. How does this happen apart from Him?! He says clearly that we are powerless seperated from Him. Thus Jesus, by work of the Holy Spirit is our power-supply! We need the Holy Spirit, our deposit guaranteeing Jesus' return, to empower us from on high with all that heaven has to offer-- signs, wonders, and miracles (Eph 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit empowers us to do as Jesus said John 14:12-14 TPT: 

"I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do--even greater miracles than these because I got to be with my Father! For I willd o whatever you ask me to do when you ask me in my name. And that is how the Son will show what the Father is really like and bring glory to him. Ask me anything in my name, and I will do it for you!"

Isn't it really fun that John 14:14 and John 15:7 are so closely linked? Jesus is really emphasizing to us, His Bride, that being in life-union with Him leads us to the Father's heart. When we're connected to our Source of Life and Light, we think like the Father because we know His heart, we know His ways, and we know his words-- they live inside of us so that we pray them and He shouts, "YES! I say YES to your desire and it will be done! I will do it for you!" I feel like this promise, stated in both passages, is the evidence of our life-union really involving a heart transformation. We become so connected to the Father's heart through the indwelling Holy Spirit, communion with Jesus, that our hearts change. We hear with God's ears, we see with His eyes, and we know in our hearts what's on His heart because we've become and are becoming one with Him day by day. In union with our King we know Him and His heart more and more. Isn't that beautiful? Doesn't that picture make you hungry for more of Him and His presence in your life?

Let's Activate

What's one way you can start your day connected to Jesus? How can you reconnect throughout the day? What are some simple ways you can remind yourself in the middle of serving kids, loving your family, and accomplishing tasks that you can invite Jesus into life-union with you?

I'm praying you step into more of the full life Jesus paid for, in life-union with Him-- letting go of the baggage you carry in order to experience more of the colors in your "world" because you're receiving your full supply of the Father's heartbeat for you. You're His treatsure and great delight!

If you want to connect more, you can find Jesica Glover on FB, Instagram and the Gathering Place for Christian Educators on FB. She's an avid supporter of Kingdom Educators through coaching, speaking, and writing. She can also be reached directly at jesica@inspirationsproductions.com and/or sign up for her mailing list: speakingwordsoflife.com