Nothing...is a big word
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:5-7
My grandparents still like to remind me on occasion of my stubbornness as a child. Two particular memories come to mind but I will share just one. It's a story that I personally don’t remember, but my Nana likes to tell it from time to time, and no one has yet denied it, and so I believe it to be true.
When I was growing up I know one shouldn’t have a favorite grandparent, but I did, and it was my nana. She was (in my eyes) and always has been just simply put...cool. I use to call her" the grandma that wore sneakers" which my dad (whose mom my nana is) loved. When I was little I always loved visiting my grandparents, like most grandkids, and playing on the swing set that my grandparents had in their backyard. There was one particular thing that was a little difficult for me, but yet it was still my favorite thing on the playset, at the age of 2 or 3, and that was the swing.
When I would visit my nana and papa I would always want to go swing on the playset, and so my nana (being the awesome lady she is) would take me outside and help me get on the swing and would hold me up. But every time, she says I would swing, and she would help me by holding me up so I wouldn’t fall I would tell her “Nana, I can do it.” She would lovingly reply, “Brittney, you can’t without me holding you because you will fall.” Me and my stubborn self would reassure her that I would be fine, that never worked and she would stay right there with me. Eventually I would give up trying to be “Miss. Independent” 2 year old and give up control and let her hold me up while I would swing, but my nana says that never failed to happened every time she would help me swing.
It makes me think of something a friend of mine said during a sermon he preached a few weeks ago. It was while he was praying, but has stayed with me every since; “Lord, a part from you I can do nothing, and nothing is not a small word.”
I had prayed the same thing myself a number of times; Lord apart from you I can do nothing, but I never had stopped before and thought WOW, nothing is a big word. A part from Christ I cannot do a thing, especially nothing that is going to bring Him glory.
So many times we have the same attitude I had while on the swing “I can do it” and God is right there with us saying “No you can’t. Not without me.” His Word declares that apart from Him we can do nothing. My prayer is that we will begin to realize we are absolutely dependent on the Lord to do anything, for everything, and in every area of our lives! We cannot swing by ourselves. We need Him to hold us!
My grandparents still like to remind me on occasion of my stubbornness as a child. Two particular memories come to mind but I will share just one. It's a story that I personally don’t remember, but my Nana likes to tell it from time to time, and no one has yet denied it, and so I believe it to be true.
When I was growing up I know one shouldn’t have a favorite grandparent, but I did, and it was my nana. She was (in my eyes) and always has been just simply put...cool. I use to call her" the grandma that wore sneakers" which my dad (whose mom my nana is) loved. When I was little I always loved visiting my grandparents, like most grandkids, and playing on the swing set that my grandparents had in their backyard. There was one particular thing that was a little difficult for me, but yet it was still my favorite thing on the playset, at the age of 2 or 3, and that was the swing.
When I would visit my nana and papa I would always want to go swing on the playset, and so my nana (being the awesome lady she is) would take me outside and help me get on the swing and would hold me up. But every time, she says I would swing, and she would help me by holding me up so I wouldn’t fall I would tell her “Nana, I can do it.” She would lovingly reply, “Brittney, you can’t without me holding you because you will fall.” Me and my stubborn self would reassure her that I would be fine, that never worked and she would stay right there with me. Eventually I would give up trying to be “Miss. Independent” 2 year old and give up control and let her hold me up while I would swing, but my nana says that never failed to happened every time she would help me swing.
It makes me think of something a friend of mine said during a sermon he preached a few weeks ago. It was while he was praying, but has stayed with me every since; “Lord, a part from you I can do nothing, and nothing is not a small word.”
I had prayed the same thing myself a number of times; Lord apart from you I can do nothing, but I never had stopped before and thought WOW, nothing is a big word. A part from Christ I cannot do a thing, especially nothing that is going to bring Him glory.
So many times we have the same attitude I had while on the swing “I can do it” and God is right there with us saying “No you can’t. Not without me.” His Word declares that apart from Him we can do nothing. My prayer is that we will begin to realize we are absolutely dependent on the Lord to do anything, for everything, and in every area of our lives! We cannot swing by ourselves. We need Him to hold us!
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