We have spent many weeks examining the Old Testament with the objective of finding Jesus hidden in the types and shadows in the stories. As much as we have benefited from these sharing, there are many more which has yet to be revealed.
However, we will not continue this series from this week onwards. We may still refer to this topic in our weekly sharing if the Spirit lead us. I encourage you to seek Jesus in the OT on your own during your quiet time with our Lord. Let your heart be warmth and strengthen like the disciples on their road to Emmaus when Jesus revealed to them about Himself in the OT.
This week, we will start a new series in looking into God's word. The Bible says that God's word are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:22).
Just by this verse, we can see the power of God's word. First of all, God's word are life, not death ... In other words, God's word is living; it speaks life and resurrection. Amen! When we read and meditate on God's word, we become alive: we will be revived or refreshed.
And it has the effect of medicine. The word "health" here in Hebrew is "marape" which mean medicine, cure or healing. Since the context of this verse talks about "flesh", it refers to physical healing and not spiritual healing.
Reading God's word has the property of healing our bodies; it is like taking medicine except that it does not have side-effect. Amen! With these benefits, it is in our interest to find out , examine and meditate on God's word. This shall be the main objective throughout the rest of the weekly sharing.
Let's kick off this week with this verse:
John 15:5
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.
In this verse, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” He did not say, “I am the vine, try to be the branches.” In other words, He wants us to realize that we are already the branches. We do not have to struggle to become the branches.
As His branches, we only have to abide in Christ our vine. The word "abide" in Hebrew is "meno" which mean remain or to be held, kept, continually. How do we do that? We do that by simply being conscious every day of our position in Christ.
Notice that the vine supply and the branches receive. The Bible says that because we have received Christ, we are in Christ and are accepted in the Beloved. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:6) God accepts us because we are in the Beloved and He is in us. And that is how God sees us today when we come into His presence.
What the devil wants to do then is to get us to focus on our conditions instead of our position in Christ. The conditions we are facing could be financial lack or deteriorating health. The devil wants to take our focus off from Jesus and remind us on our sickly conditions. The devil knows that once we focus on our position in Christ, it will give us the power to change our conditions and circumstances. Amen!
The truth is today we are the righteousness of God in Christ and that we are seated with Him in heavenly places at the Father’s right hand. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:6) We are an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. (Romans 8:17) Amen!
John 15:5 says that we will bear “much fruit”. This means that when we pray against any lack, abundant supply will flow. When we pray for healing, sickness will leave. The fruit is the result of abiding in Him, having a conscious awareness of our position in Christ.
Let's understand that none of the things can happen by our own doing, but by His life which flows through us. Just as sap flowing through the branches of a vine will cause them to bring forth fruit, His life flowing through us will bring forth a bountiful harvest of provision, healing and miracles. We only need to remain conscious of who we are in Christ! Amen! Hallelujah!
Grace and peace be with you.
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