“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not remain in me, he is 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 given you. - John 15:5-7 NIV
Therein lies the root of all of my struggles. I cease to remain in Him, the vine, and all matter of calamities suddenly make themselves manifest in my life. I start my days with foolish things, foolish activities, foolish pleasures rather than with my source and then I wonder why my life is out of control. It's out of control because I am no longer connected. Dietrich Bonheoffer stated it well. "The wasted time we are ashamed of, the temptations we succumb to, the weakness and discouragement in our work, the disorder and lack of discipline in our thinking and in our dealings with other people․all these very frequently have their cause in our neglect of morning prayer." - 40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007 Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.
Prayer, and I would add devotion, is more than asking what we want. Prayer is remaining in the vine.
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