Wednesday: Staying Attached 3

"I am the vine: you are the branches."

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and the sleigh rolls out today from the Southern Location of the North Pole as we start our run at Allenberry Playhouse. Please keep us in your prayers as this is one of our main fund raisers for the food pantry. Praise God, for He heard our prayers and answered them yesterday as we were warmly welcomed at the school yesterday with our meeting with the counselors. They are not only working with us to help choose families to receive food, they are going to try and get each school to collect food for the pantry... Thank You Jesus.

Today is Wednesday and that means it is Salvation Wednesday on this line, the day we pray for the souls of the lost, and we pray for them to come to Jesus and for us to be used in the fields of Harvest for Jesus. Prayers also today for Ann, for Leann, for Cindy (cancer) and for Toby (K9). Toby is the beloved Yorkie of our ministry partner Pamela Bower, and he is undergoing very serious surgery today.

I have been asked over the years, do you really pray for dogs? Yes, on this line we do pray for them, as they are indeed family to us who love our pets...

Tomorrow is family day... Need prayers for family members, send them in for tomorrow..

Staying Attached 3: John 15:5 - "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." (NIV)

Jesus puts it very clear here to me that if we do not stay attached to Him, we can do nothing. I want to relate a few stories of my own experience. Many times I have gotten up in the morning with some goals for work around the house. Being in such a hurry to get it started so I could get done, I hurried out without praying for help with the work I was going to do. And folks, it would just not go well. I would get under a vehicle to work on it and forget my tools, I would get a wrench and try and get a bolt off and could not break it loose. I would pull the drain plug and the oil would run down over my face and arms (stop laughing), then I would get out from under the car and spin around getting up on my knees and stop to talk to God... I am sorry Lord, but I tried to do this without You and I just cannot get it done. Then I asked for help and the day would turn around.

A few years back Carry The light was set to sing at a retirement home in Carlisle, we were still using the tapes for background music. We always open a concert in prayer asking Jesus to be with us. This day I just forgot. That day we started with "In The Garden". I pushed the play button on the tape player and it started, we started to sing and the door to the tape player came open and the tape came out. I rewound it and hit the play again and again it started to play and then the door came open and the tape fell out. Again I tried and again the old tape player door came open. Then we remembered we did not pray. So we prayed and prayed. Then I rewound the tape and hit the play button again, and this time, it worked. Jesus was just not going to let us have a concert that day without asking Him to be part of it. Folks, that is not a made up example, that is a very true story.

Brothers and sisters, take this very seriously, when Jesus speaks we need to really listen. So often in prayer, we pray and pray but forget to take time to listen. And the same when (and if) we read the Bible. Here it is very easy for me to understand. If we remain in Jesus, He will remain in us. If we part from Him WE ARE NOTHING. They are very strong words coming from our Lord, very strong, and folks, Jesus means what He tells us and He tells us what He means. Again this week as we are talking about staying attached, be careful of Satan's workers who want to prune you right from Jesus. Brothers and sisters, you just cannot have it both ways, but many will. You cannot walk with Jesus and walk with Satan at the same time. It just does not work. Jesus went to the cross for us, what did Satan do for us... NOTHING, but he does have neat things he puts in front of us. Let's pray about it.

Dear Father in Heaven, how we love You and how we need to stay with You, so Lord, we want to hold Your nail scarred hand today and we want You to hold our hand as we go through this day, and Lord, we want to do it each day. Lord we pray today a praise prayer thanking You for all You do and for opening the doors for us at a public school. Lord, use us this day to lead in others that are lost, and Lord, keep us safe and in Your arms as we work those fields. Lord, I pray today for Ann and for Leann as they need Your touch, and I pray for Cindy who has cancer, and Lord, for You to touch and heal little Toby... We know You love our pets or You would not have made them. Lord, have a nice day, and thanks for giving us a nice one. Lord, may we make Your day better by staying away from sin. In the name of Jesus I pray... Amen.

Now go forth, staying attached to "The Vine" and walking with Him... and of course seeking out the lost and also sharing your blessings. Love ya, dan.

Carry The Light Ministries
16 Dewalt Drive
Mechanicsburg, Pa. 17050
717 691 8200