Theme Verse

I decided to begin the New Year buy reading John 15 ,and one verse has become a theme verse for this year.

John 15vs 5

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing

Let me make a confession: I don't feel like I spent enough time abiding in Christ this past year.

As a Christian I have always valued prayer and bible reading, but through my actions showed that it was more important than essential

If I am reading this verse right it would suggest that in wanting to live a fruitful life abiding in Christ is more essential than important.It could not be more clearer,than the word saying without me you can do nothing.

As a leader , Bible study can become a professional endeavor. It is so easy to study the Bible for the wrong reasons. I can study it looking for what God wants to say through me instead of what God wants to do in me.

When thinking about values I quess the continual challenge for us as Christians is to ensure that there is congruence between what we say matters most and how we’re really living. Are our preferred values our actual values? The truth is that often we’re disappointed with ourselves.

Most of us feel some pain because we realise that the way we are living does not fully match what we say really matters most to us. It’s like our lives are out of sync. There is a “gap” between what we really value and how we are living

The good news is that the gospel is not just about eternal life in the hereafter but about another kind of life available to us right now. It’s about “transformation” – you and I changing and growing to become more like Jesus, someone who knew what mattered most and lived in total harmony with it every moment of every day (Gal.4:19. Rom.12:2. 2 Cor.3:18).

So This year, I will spend a little less time"Keeping up with the Joneses" and a lot more time "Keeping up with Christ".

Heres to a successful 2008!