A Word of Encouragement

July 27, 2026

Bougainvillea - Dec 2013

Grace, Hope & Peace, Friend;

The first thing we check, when a lamp won't work, is its power source - whether it uses batteries, plugs, or runs on solar. Jesus said,

I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
	John 15:5

Much like a light will not work if it is not connected to a reliable power source, we cannot produce fruit if we are not connected to Jesus - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:21-23).

So how can we stay connected to Jesus - 'remain in Him’? Jesus had already told His disciples, when He told them He was leaving them for a while:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. The Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.

John 14:16-17 & 26

Our 'source of power' is Jesus and our connection with Him - until He returns to get us - is His Spirit. So Paul warns us, "Do not quench the Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 5:19) It is the Holy Spirit who produces in us the fruit that humanity longs for, but Satan, and his influence on the world, rejects.

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
	John 15:18

Years after Jesus left, John reminded us, "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

Our ‘power source’, the Spirit of truth - is greater than Satan's influence on the world.

Yeshua, HaGefen HaAmittit – Jesus, the True Vine - keep me connected to You through Your Spirit.

Slaves depend on their masters. And a female servant depends on her mistress. In the same way, we depend on our God. We wait for him to show us mercy.
	Psalm 123:2 (ICB)

Stay connected,