Believe Right!

John 15:1 - 2 - The passage where Jesus says the branch that does not bear fruit gets taken away by our heavenly Father. NKJV 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. In the past, I would read this passage and all I would see were my inadequacies and how one day, when my period of Grace was over, God would cut me off because I wasn't 'bearing fruit.'  Many Christians are in the same boat right now, equating the doing of good works with bearing fruit and not doing good works with not bearing fruit. Even as a believer in Jesus, enjoying the impact of His finished work, this passage seemed to me to be a contradiction of God's Grace. How wrong I was! It is a confirmation of God's grace and how much He loves us! How NOT to bear fruit comes right after verse 2!   3 You are already clean because of the wor...

If you're reading this, you're probably familiar with the Parable of the Lost Sheep. If you could just take a minute to refresh your memory:) Luke 15: 4 - 7: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. " Let's note five things that happened in this passage: 1. The sheep was lost (it left the flock either by mistake or on purpose, bottomline is it got separated from the shepherd) 2. The shepherd went to look for the sheep 3. The shepherd was not mad at the sheep ...