Abiding

I was looking back at some journal entries that I had written at the beginning of the 2010 year and I was discouraged to find that I still struggle with the some of the same things.  I thought about how I could not see growth in some areas of my life and wondering why I was still struggling.  Then the Lord revealed to me this Truth: He is the living vine.  Christ is the Vine and I am but the branch, I can do no growing of my own; in fact if the vine that I am connected to is dead then I am dead as well!  I have no hope of growing if I am attached to a deaad vine, it is not possible! God encouraged me with the fact that He is the Living Vine and because I have been grafted into Him, I am a living branch; and what is it that living things do?  They grow!  Praise the Lord; if I am abiding in the living Vine then how can I help but grow in righteousness?!  We should never be discouraged when we can't see growth in our own lives, the growth is so slow that it can be imperceptible to us. We must simply cling to the Truth and know that God's will for us is to become more like His son and because of that we know He will not just allow sin to stay in our lives but will give us victory over it!