His Voice Devotional

Text:Philippians 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:_  Today we shall be looking at the second kind of mind that Christ possesses. "......And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" Philippians 2:7-8 Christ,  having been found in fashion as a man, still went further deep low to humble Himself even before man.  Humility is one of the basic features of our God.  Hence,  we saw Christ demonstrated same before us.  Jesus Christ, being the creator of all creation, submitted Himself to be molested by His creatures in order to save them.  Col. 1:15-17. He was beaten,  spat on,  openly disgraced and crucified by His own very handiwork,  yet He did not revile back. Acts  8:32 says "...He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth". Our Lord showed us the kind of mind we must pu...

Text:Philippians 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:_  The mind in Christ was the mind of servanthood and humility. There is no greater humility than for God's Son, the very Word of God to humble Himself to the point of becoming man. Jesus' incarnation(God becoming man) is a great display of  humility and servanthood. "......and (He) took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" Philippians 2:7-8 From the  above, you can see that Jesus Christ took up:  *1. Servanthood Position:* Jesus took upon Himself the form of a servant. He was not compelled to become one, but He chose this servanthood position willingly. Jesus came to the earth to serve humanity. He came to serve and not to be served. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I h...

Text:Philippians 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:_  There is a kind of mind and Spirit which Christ  possesses that distinguishes Him  from every other man on the face of the earth. We were encouraged to allow same kind of mind in us. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But he made himself as nothing, taking the form of a servant, being made like men; And being seen in form as a man, he took the lowest place, and let himself be put to death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:6-8. From the above, we can see the mind of Christ as:  *1. Mind that does not cling to one's rights and privileges* .  Christ had completely the same nature as God. He was as important as God. But Christ did not demand that he should continue to be important like that. Philippians 2:6 (Easyenglish) For you to have the mind of Christ, you must become a person who never claims rights. You must not be legalistic...

Text : Proverbs 10:24 ISV  What the wicked fears will come about,   but the longing of the righteous will be granted. To long is to have desires or expectations. Every body has longing for something. But the word of God says the desire(longing) of the wicked shall perish. Psalms 112:10. But the longing of the righteous shall be granted. Prov. 10:24. What happens when the righteous has no longing?  It means nothing shall be granted, though an open cheque has been given to him.  You are young and useful if you are still planning for another day. Don't ever give in to the lies of the devil. Don't ever give up on yourself, because God is not giving up on you. He said, there is surely a future life,  and what you hope for will not be cut off.Pro 23:18. The only qualification needed to getting your desires met is for you to be a righteous man. "The expectations (longing) of the righteous shall be granted", regardless of race,  colour or age.  As a matte...

Text : Ecc 7:8   Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. John Stephen Akhwari represented his country Tanzania to compete in the marathon in the 1968 Mexican Olympics. In the early parts of the race, Akhwari cramped up due to the high altitude of the city. At the 19 kilometer point during the 42 kilometer race, he collided with another runner and fell, badly cutting and dislocating his knee. He also hurt his shoulder when he hit the ground. However, despite the injuries, he still pressed on and finished the race as the last person of the 57 competitors who finished. When interviewed later and asked why he continued running despite his injuries, he simply said, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.” Just like John, God didn't send Jesus Christ to this world to come and die, only for you to start up as a Christian and then give up....

Text : Luke 6:38   Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again_ . Some things only answer  to principles, and 'giving' is one of such things.  Receiving only answers to the principle of sowing and reaping, giving and receiving. The principle goes to say that the measure to which you give is the measure to which you receive. One beautiful thing about this principle is that you will always receive much more than you give. That's why you should be careful what you give because you will receive it back in *GOOD MEASURE, (be it good or evil)*  The word of God says 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' Gal 6:7. You cannot outsmart this principle, if you sow wind,  you will reap whirlwind, Hosea 8:7. If you desired to reap a good partner, th...

Text : 1 John 4:20  Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen. The only thing you are permitted to owe anyone and everyone is love.  "Do not owe anyone anything—except to love one another. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the Law."Rom 13:8. The only way to show you love God is by loving the people you see. You have been called, not just to love God only, but to love your neighbors too. This is the royal law all believers are commanded to fulfill.  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:James 2:8.  Some people are so difficult to love. No matter what you do to them,  they are naturally wired to pay back with evil. But we are not told to love only those that are easy to love, rather, you are to love all men. 1 Thessalonians 3:12. As a matter of fact Jesus told us to love o...

Text : Dan 9:2   In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.  It is often said that the day you stopped learning is the day you start dying. The saying is so true because the scripture says my people perish for lack of vision (knowledge). Proverbs 29:18. Job 36:12. Before Daniel (from our text) understood by books what is to be done, prophecy had gone ahead of them that the Isrealites will be taken captive for seventy years. Dan. 9:2, 12. Now,  the prophecy had been fulfilled,  all the things Prophet Jeremiah and other Prophets said had come to pass.  The stipulated seventy years of bondage had been fulfilled.  Yet the people would have remained in captivity if Daniel had not taken it upon himself to read up what was said about them. they would have remained in captivity still. ...

Text : Colossians  1:5. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;_ The hope we have in heaven is not just the hope of making heaven. It is the hope of:  *1. Inheritance reserved for us in heaven.*    _Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,1 Peter 1:3-4 We must live for the hope of Our inheritance which is incorruptible, undefilable and does does not fade away.  *2. Seeing Jesus Christ as He is.*  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; _for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, eve...

Text : 1 Corinthians 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Having known that our hope in Christ is not just in this present life but also in that which is to come; we shall be looking at the hope we have in Him in this present life. While awaiting the hope to come, we also live for the hope Himself-Jesus Christ. Our hope in the now is stated in Romans 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate *to be conformed to* the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" The expectation(hope) of our calling in this present life is our conformation to the image of  the Son of God. The hope we live for on this side of eternity is to *CONFORM.* That is, to be conformed to the very image of Jesus.If you don't  have this hope of conformation, you will not do well as a child of God. The Greek word "summorphos" where conform is taken, can also mean having the same form as another or similar. ...

Text : 1 Corinthians 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable_ . The word "Hope" simply means expectation. It is the expectation  that something will happen in the nearest future. You cannot say that you believe when you don't have hope. Hope is the very bedrock of faith. From our text, we can see that every child of God has a hope both in this world and that to come. If in this life "only" means that we also have  hope in this present life we are in. Most importantly, God's word assured us that we have hope hereafter. Our hope however is in Christ. Hence, we have a living hope and not a dead hope.  A living hope is the hope that brings you into the very tangible and  enduring promises of God. A living hope is what we should live for. Christ in you is the hope of Glory(1Timothy 1:1, Colossians 1:27). Any hope which only brings perishable and temporal things in this world is a DEAD hope. Dead hope is only centered a...

Text : John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus Christ came so you may have life and have it abundantly. This is the main reason Jesus came, to give life eternal.  For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16 NET . Also,  it was recorded in 1Jn 3:8 that for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. And we have established yesterday what the three major works of the devil are : steal, kill,  and destroy.  For everything the devil has stolen in your life,  I decree a multiple restoration . For everything that have died,  I  decree divine resurrection in your life in Jesus name. Though we know that the devil is the *real thief* but he doesn't come in person because he knows no one will welco...

Text : John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. It is convenient to think that what the thief has come to steal are your earthly possessions like cars,  house,  jobs,  phones, your promotions,   your rights and privileges  etc. But the truth is "this thief" doesn't have interest in any of these things.  At this point, I think it's best we put a name to this thief. Well,  he's no other foe than the devil himself. Basically,  he has three-goal agenda viz: **steal        **kill and         **destroy. The real thing that the enemy is out to steal in your life is the seed of eternal life in you. Matt. 13:19. Everything he does (positive or negative) is to ensure that you lose grip of the word of truth which is able to save you.  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity ...

Text : James 4:7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.  Every sane person will love the devil to flee from him. But it does not just happen, you have a role to play.  First,  you must submit to God. And then,  you must resist the devil.  We established yesterday that a natural man cannot submit to God. A person who always lets his own human thoughts rule him will be God’s enemy. A person like that does not obey what God has said. A person who thinks like that is not even able to obey God.Rom 8:7 EasyEnglish. To submit to God is to willfully surrender yourself to His tutelage.That is, you must be ready to be ruled by the Spirit of God. But you are not living by your own human power. Instead, you are obeying God’s Spirit, if his Spirit is really living in you. If anyone does not have Christ’s Spirit in them, that person does not belong to Christ.Rom 8:9 EasyEnglish. Invariably, without submitting to the leading of the Holy Spir...

Text : James 4:7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you . For verse(7) seven to start with 'therefore', it presupposes that there is a foregoing discourse. Hence, to have a better understanding of our text, there's need to gloss over the preceding verses.  *VERSE ONE*  What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you? James 4:1. Note that the book of James was written to believers in Christ, yet there were wars and fighting among them just as we have it today.  To successfully deal with something, you have to go to the root. The root of the unending  quarrels and conflicts among you is *YOUR CRAVINGS* .  The right question to ask here is " *what are my cravings?"* Your cravings are your hedonistic desires. That is, desires that you are overly devoted to, which more or less controls your body.  Most times, when you are caught up in the web of ceaseless arguments a...

Text :James 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you_ . The two major key words in our text are SUBMIT and RESIST. It takes a man who has submitted to God to resist the devil. It is when your obedience is fulfilled that you can revenge all disobedience. 2 Corinthians 10:6 "And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled" The greek word( hupotasso) where SUBMIT is coined from can also mean the following: to arrange under, to subordinate to, subject one's self, to obey, to yield to one's admonition or advice.  Submitting yourself to God is a deliberate action that every man must undertake to obey, subject or yield oneself to God. God does not force people to submit. You must do it willingly. On the other hand, unlike God's pattern, the devil forces himself into one's life. That is the reason God asked us to RESIST him. The Greek word(antisthemi) where RESIST is used also mean to ...

Text :Mark 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it._  Losing one's life does not come without taking right steps in the right direction. In the verse(34) before our text, Jesus outlined the prerequisites to losing the (soulish) life. And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come After me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. MARK 8:34. The first thing we must note in this verse is that Jesus called both the _people and his disciples_ . The condition to losing one's life is common to all and sundry. The following conditions are stated clearly:  *1. Invitation For All* : Firstly, the invitation is given to all.  He called both the people and His disciples and said to them, "whosoever will come after me...."  *2. Deny himself:* Jesus wanted anyone that will follow Him to deny himself...

Text :Mark 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it._ If you critically consider this statement made by Jesus, you will realise that man generally does not like to lose his life. We have a life that is contrary to the  kind of life God wanted us to live. Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, man has been living a life that is contrary to that of God(Gen. 6:5-6). After the fall, man now live from the realm of the soul and not from their spirit. This is because man died on the very day he ate the forbidden  fruit.(Gen 2:17). The soulish life is what Jesus has come to terminate. Jesus came to give us the Life of God (zoe) so that we can loose the soulish life(psuche). Jesus said "....I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly"(John 10:10). The *life* referred to here is the life of God. Many has been misinterpreting this verse to me...

Text : Luke 23:42 Then he went on to plead, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!” At the crucifixion of Jesus, two criminals were hung alongside with Him in order to fulfill the scripture which says : He was counted among the outlaws. Isaiah 53:12. But in actual fact,  everyone without Jesus is considered a criminal -a sinner.  Since the fall of man,  everyone has sinned and come short of the Glory of God, Romans 3:23. But up till today,  man is still categorised under either of these criminals.  1. *Those yelling insults at Him*   Now one of the criminals hanging there kept insulting him, “You are the Messiah, aren’t you? Save yourself…and us!”.Luke 23:39 ISV.  This criminal knew he had need of salvation yet he chose to make mockery of the only one who can save him.  Whenever the Holy Spirit convicts your heart of sin, and you refused to call on the saviour for help and cleansing, you are in the same group with this first cri...

Text : 1 Johnn 3:1   Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Love is a two way traffic, "I  love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me". Psalm 8:17. The Two parties involved here are The Almighty God and you.  It has been established from the scriptures that the love of God is always constant because God is love, 1 John 4:8, but the question is,  do you love God? When you ask people this question, the ready answer is "yes", yet we have a yardstick to determining your love for the father.  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:23. Without mincing words,  one yardstick for showing your love for God is by keeping His words.  Also,  in 1 John 4:20, the word of God says, If...

Text :1John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not._  The Amplified version of our text refers to the love the Father shows to us as INCREDIBLE. "See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." A number of times, we are unable to see this love of the father.  Some years back I was in a prayer meeting and a song was raised. The lyrics was simply talking about how good and loving the father is to me.  Immediately,  I was switched off because I felt the song was not so true concerning me.  I was hurting,  alone,  lonely and dejected. So I couldn't receive the love of the father.  I walked out of the meeting amidst tears because of my ...

Text :John 20:25   So the other disciples kept telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he told them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into them, and put my hand into his side, I’ll never believe!” The main actor in our text above is one of the disciples of Jesus Christ by the name Thomas. He is popularly known as the   Doubting Thomas, obviously for his role of refusing to believe that Jesus had resurrected until he had seen Him with his eyes. Today, many (believers inclusive) are living according to the theory  of brother Thomas. As a matter of fact, we have a popular saying to back up this equation - "seeing is believing". I'm made bold in God to tell you that this equation, (saying) is in opposition to the word of God.  Jesus said categorically in John 11:40  that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? That is with Christ, "believing is seeing." As a matter of fact,  He pronounced blessing on tho...

Text :Luke 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.  Equation according to dictionary is the act or process of equating two or more things, or the state of those things being equal (that is, identical). Just as man has his own equations, God also has His. But God's equations are different from man's. God spoke about many equations that are contraty to that of man. Today, we shall be looking at God's equation  as it relates to Value. The word Value simply means the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable. Jesus wrote one of His equatioms on Values thus:"....for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" When man says this is highly esteemed, God says this is an abomination. Man's values and God's value cannot equate in any way. Most of the thing...

Text :Hebrews 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Our High priest can help us in the face of temptation because He Himself was tempted in all points as we are today. A fellow human may not understand your plight, but the High Priest does. He was in ALL POINTS TEMPTED means that He received all kinds of temptation. He is not in any way a novice. He knows how you feel, where it hurts you the most and why you are about to give up. He knows and He understands your plight perfectly. Our High priest is the only physician that has actually experienced the same health issue you are bringing to Him. He has been through the valley you are in now. He has been on the rough road you are on now. He has been through the pains you are experiencing now. He knows and feels it all. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace t...

Text :Hebrews 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Before the advent of Jesus, the High priest in Israel was one that has lots of limitations and infirmities himself. Hebrew 5:1-2. But this our High Priest-Jesus Christ is one without any form of infirmities, yet He carried in Himself the feelings of our infirmities. The word "astheneia" where infirmities is taken from can also mean _want of strength, weakness, feebleness of health or sickness of the soul, want of strength and capacity requisite_ . So when you are feeling any of these, you have a High priest that understands your plight.  When you find yourself in  a negative situation that brings feelings of infirmities, the first person to consult is not people to sympathise or even empathise with you. You must first of all seek help from the High Priest,  who will not only sympathise with you ...

Text :Psalm 27:14   Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. One common factor in the lives of those who wait on the Lord is that,  they always get their strength renewed.   *Wait on the LORD* : be of good courage, and *he shall strengthen thine heart* : wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14. But they that wait upon the LORD* shall *renew their strength* ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.Isa 40:31. By nature,  human's strength get depleted on a daily basis,  the only sure means of getting your strength replenished is by waiting on Him. Also,  by nature,  man does not like to wait, we are advancing in this information age by the minute, where everyone is looking for shortcuts to everything. But below are few of the things that happen to those who have received grace to be Waiters: 1. They get their strength...

Text :Psa 27:14   Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Most times when Preachers talk on the issue of disobedience,  the ready example they refer to is King Saul. Yes,  Saul disobeyed but one other offence he committed was his inability to wait as instructed. As a matter of fact,  it was his impatience that led him to disobey. (Pls,  read up the story from the Bible reading given below). A number of times,  people miss the plan of God for their lives because they couldn't wait on the Lord.  Note that I didn't say because they couldn't wait at all but because they couldn't wait on the Lord.  King Saul waited for seven days as instructed and he even waited for the appointed time but it was Prophet Samuel who delayed in coming. 1 Samuel 13:8. So to a natural man,  Saul actually waited.  However,  the instruction was for Saul to wait for Samuel to offer the sacrifice a...

Text : Heb 10:22   Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. To draw near to God with a true heart, you must have your heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, and your body washed with pure water. This goes to say that if there is pure water,  there must be impure water.  We established yesterday that the pure water stands for the word of God. That is, impure water is the adulterated word of God. The only thing that is potent enough to cleanse and wash you clean is the undiluted word of God.  Therefore, rid yourselves of everything impure and every expression of wickedness, and with a gentle spirit welcome the word planted in you that can save your souls.James 1:21 ISV It is your responsibility to rid yourself of everything impure (anything immoral and evil) ,instead,  humble yourself to receive the word that is able to save your soul.  Any...

Text : Heb 10:22   Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Man can live without many things in life, but one of the few things he can't live without is water. Just as water is essential to man in the natural,  so much more is it essential in the spiritual.  The word of God is the water In the spirit. Eph 5:26 says "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word". That is, the water is the word. And basically,  the water does the following : 1.It sanctiifies: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.Joh 17:17. Eph. 5:26. You can only be set apart for God's purpose and be made holy through His word of truth.  2. It cleanses: Your heart is sprinkled from an evil conscience,  and your body is washed and cleansed with the pure water of the word.  Hebrews 10:22. Eph.  5:26. The word washes your co...

Text: John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing._  When you are connected to Christ, the fruit you bring forth is LOVE. If the Gardener (Father) is Love, then the Vine(Son) too is Love. The bible says in 1John 4:8 that he that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. The only fruit you bring forth when connected to the Vine is Love. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love for one another"John  13:35. This means that LOVE is the fruit by which men know that you are His disciple. In other words, it is only by Love men know that you are connected to Christ. To love is to simply keep commandments. Jesus has summarised the commandment into two parts. These are: 1. VERTICAL LOVE : This is the LOVE we demonstrate towards God. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with...

Text: John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Today, we shall be looking at how we can stay connected to Christ. Knowing that abiding in the Vine and the Vine in us is the only prerequisite to bearing Fruit; it is important therefore to know how we can abide in Him. To abide in the Christ(Vine), we must: 1. Let Jesus' word dwell in us abundantly *and richly:* Colossians 3:16 says Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.(John 15:7). Allowing the word of God settle in us *richly* makes our hearts fertile and fruitful.  2. Abide in His Love :To abide in His Love is to keep and Do His commandments. If you keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.(John 15:10...

Text: John 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me . Just as the branch of a tree cannot bear fruit without being connected to the tree, so much more you cannot also bear fruit if you are not properly connected to Christ. Jesus told  His disciples to abide in Him and He in them because that is the only thing that guarantees their Fruitfulness. He further said to them, "without me, you can DO NOTHING" You can DO but NOTHING without staying connected to Christ. All your activities in the church,  sacrificial giving and good deeds will be NOTHING outside of Christ.  The only thing that must be our priority is simply "STAYING CONNECTED" Jesus is not seeking for those who will work for Him, but for those who will ABIDE in Him. He knows that if anyone abides, such will be far more productive and result oriented for the Kingdom. And only those that are connected can bring...