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MEDITATION:

Written by Craig Denison, a contemporary author of the daily devotional First15.

Every Christian I know wants to live an effective life for Jesus. The key to succeeding in this is abiding in him. Abiding in Christ is foundational to centering your whole life around God. Tapping into Christ’s presence and power is what will allow you to bear good fruit in this life. So often out of the right desire to do good and God-honoring works we try to force fruit out of ourselves without taking the time to rest and receive the nutrients we can only get from abiding in our heavenly Father. A branch disconnected from an apple tree can no more produce good fruit than you and I can do good works apart from continual abiding in love, grace, and presence of God…God’s heart is for us to abide in him all day, every day. How incredible is that! You and I can graft ourselves every day into the perfect, good, and powerful vine of our heavenly Father. We can wake up every day, open our hearts to God, and live out of the union afforded us by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus. Rather than striving to do good works from the moment our feet hit the ground, we must take time to be loved by our heavenly Father. Rather than making our own opportunities to serve God, we must allow him to guide us to the works he’s set out for us. Rather than trying to lead others to Jesus by our own efforts, we must simply live openly and honestly with others, thereby revealing God’s heart to meet with those who are broken and in need of him. And rather than living as if God has left us to our devices, we must acknowledge our union with the Holy Spirit in every moment, thereby allowing his loving presence to permeate everything we do.

PRAYER:

Written by Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274), a Dominican friar and influential philosopher and theologian in the church.

O God, who in this wondrous sacrament has left us a memorial of your passion; grant us so to venerate the sacred mysteries of your body and blood, that we may ever continue to feel within ourselves the blessed fruit of your redemption. Who livest and reignest God, for ever and ever.