Today's Gospel

I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:5

Reflection

The Lord compared us to the branches and compared Himself to the vine. Our relationship with the Lord is like the relationship between the vine branches and the vine. Away from the vine, the branches will lose the supply of life and then wither and die. From this we can see that the Lord is the source of our life and that it is very important to maintain a proper relationship with God. Only by constantly living before God to have a normal relationship with God can we gain the supply of God’s life and bear the fruit of life. Conversely, if we often stray far from God, cling to the world, and live in the enjoyment of the flesh and material benefits, but seldom read God’s words or pray to Him, then we will have no proper relationship with Him, nor will we have the work of the Holy Spirit. Our life will wither. This is equivalent to the branches withering after being away from the vine.

So, how can we establish a proper relationship with God? I read two passages from a spiritual book, “People believe in God, love God, and satisfy God by touching the Spirit of God with their heart, thereby obtaining His satisfaction; when engaging with God’s words with their heart, they are therefore moved by the Spirit of God. If you wish to achieve a proper spiritual life and establish a proper relationship with God, you must first give your heart to Him, and quiet your heart before Him. Only after you have poured your whole heart into God can you gradually develop a proper spiritual life.

“If you want to have a proper relationship with God, your heart must turn to God…. When one does not give his heart to God, his spirit becomes obtuse, it becomes numb and unconscious. This kind of person will never understand God’s words and will never have a proper relationship with God; this kind of person will never change their disposition. … When you are able to give your heart to God, you will be able to perceive every subtle moving within your spirit, and you will know every enlightenment and illumination received from God. Hold onto this, and you will gradually enter into the path of being perfected by the Holy Spirit. The quieter your heart can be before God, the more sensitive and delicate your spirit will be, and the more your spirit will be able to perceive the moving of the Holy Spirit, and then your relationship with God will become more and more proper.”

From these words we can see: If we want to establish a proper relationship with God, we must give our hearts to Him and often quiet our hearts before Him. Of our whole beings, it is our heart that God places great stock in. Just as the Bible says, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). God is a Spirit. Only with our hearts can we connect with His Spirit and establish a proper relationship with Him. If we want to give our hearts to God, first we should often come before God and have real prayer with God: speaking our hearts’ words to Him, truly entrusting our difficulties to God, and asking for His guidance and arrangements, instead of making prayers that are not sincere or prayers of a religious ritual. This is what it means to have a normal relationship with God.

» You may be interested in reading more on our The Parables of Jesus page, or in the articles below:

• Why Did Jesus Use Parables When He Did His Work?

• The Profound Meaning Behind the Parable of the Vineyard

• Establishing a Proper Relationship With God Is Very Important