Journal entry March 7, 2026

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Heavenly Father I have been learning so much from reading about the struggles of Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China. He struggled with what he described as the sin of not living nearer to God. Taylor says, "I prayed, agonized, fasted, strove, made resolutions, read the word more diligently, sought more time for meditation but all without avail. Every day, almost every hour, the consciousness of sin oppressed me. I knew that if only I could abide in Christ all would be well, but I could not. I would begin the day with prayer, determined not to take my eye eye off of Him for a moment, but pressures of duties, sometimes very trying, and constant interruptions apt to be so, caused me to forget Him. Each day brought its register of sin and failure, of lack of power."

Then came his breakthrough. "But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but resting on the Faithful One."

Hudson made the mistake as I myself have, in wishing to get the sap, the fullness out of Him!(You Lord) It's an understanding the "Vine" is not the root merely, but all; root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit. And Jesus is not that alone-He is soil and sunshine, air and showers, and 10,000 times more than we have ever dreamed, wished for or needed. Oh, the joy of seeing this truth!

What does this all mean? It means I don't extract from You that which I need, it means I am one with You, and in You I have all. You will never leave me nor forsake me. I was thinking of this in relation to answered prayer. Your word tells me that if I ask anything according to Your will… that I know that I have the petitions I desire of You.

I've been asking you to remove Deb's tinnitus. It occurs to me this morning that her tinnitus is not something she bears alone. But because she is one with You, You experience everything she is experiencing. So I ask this morning that she would be more aware of Your presence, and that she would find in You sufficiency to get through each and every day.

Heavenly Father I know that You will never leave me nor forsake me. For in Jesus we are one. Help me to live today as a member of Your body, of Your flesh, of Your bones. Not with the hope of extracting anything from You, but with the knowledge that I am in You, and together, all things are possible. In Jesus name. AMEN