In the next 30 seconds you will, on average:
You accomplish more by just standing where you are than in all of your other endeavors! If that's true in the physical realm, it is even more true in the spiritual realm. We accomplish more by being "in the Spirit" than anything we might then go on to do.
"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life" (John 6:63).
Is it any wonder that the writer of Proverbs asks us to "consider the ant?" What if every member of a local church worked together with that kind of teamwork? And what if all of the churches in the world combined their efforts? Can you imagine the impact we could have if we moved and operated as one? With Christ as our Head, shouldn't it be said of us that, "the operational unit is not the individual but the entire Church"?
"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!" (Proverbs 6:6).
"He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love" (Ephesians 4:16).
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A young man named Roscoe was arrested for DUI in rural Kentucky. He pled guilty and the judge sentenced him to community service. When Roscoe showed up at the jail to begin his sentence, the sheriff informed him that he would be painting a yellow line down the middle of a newly constructed road.
The sheriff purchased several gallons of yellow paint and a dozen paint rollers and Roscoe began his task. The first day, Roscoe painted the line 2 miles down the road and the sheriff was impressed. On the second day, Roscoe painted the line one mile further. The sheriff was still satisfied, but less impressed. On the third day, Roscoe only covered 1/4 of a mile.
Now the sheriff was upset, so he decided to talk to Roscoe. "You haven’t been painting as much road as you did on the first day." The sheriff asked, "What’s the problem?" Roscoe replied, "I’d be painting more, but the bucket keeps getting farther and farther away!"
All that God has called us to accomplish in this life is only made possible by our union and ongoing communion with Christ. The further we drift from Jesus, the less productive we will be in Kingdom work. He is the source of the life of God that dwells in us, and flows through us, so long as we remain in intimate fellowship with Him. Don't waste precious time engaged in life without Jesus.
"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NLT).
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