Nothing apart from Jesus

 Apart from Jesus, Nothing

 

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. —John 15:5

 

“Faithfulness not success” were the carved-out words on an old, thin piece of wood. The wood sat on Charles (Chuck) Colson’s desk at Prison Fellowship. A gift from a prisoner, Mr. Colson loved and lived those words.

 

The term “Hatchet Man” was used for a trusted worker tasked by his employer with destroying a political opponent by any means necessary. Mr. Colson was President Richard Nixon’s “Hatchet Man.” He was one of the seven who would plead guilty to obstruction of justice and go to prison for the Watergate Scandal.

 

Apart from God, you’re prone to lie, steal, and kill. You may not be guilty of a scandal at the highest level of government like Mr. Colson, but you must rely on abiding in Christ all the same. You must recognize that apart from Christ, you can do nothing. 

 

Oswald Sanders taught, “It is impossible for a believer, no matter what his experience, to keep right with God if he will not take the trouble to spend time with God.” 

 

As a believer, pursue Christ. If you do not abide in Christ, then you will not bear fruit. You may look successful, but if you’re not faithful to God, you’re living behind sin’s bars. 

 

Spend unrushed time with Him daily. You have a mission to go and bear fruit—not fruit from yourself that points to how great you are, but fruit that lasts, that points to God. You can’t stack your fruit high enough to reach God. Works never saved, but you can know you’re saved by looking back and seeing fruit. 

 

You live in a dangerous world. You will come faced with intimidating challenges from the devil. In those moments you will need to draw on the courage that comes from God in the quiet. Therefore, you need to learn how to spend time with God.

 

At his lowest, a few nights before entering prison, Colson surrendered his life to Christ. Many doubted his testimony. After returning home from prison, he never wavered. Colson would later say, after founding Prison Fellowship, Justice Fellowship, the Colson Center, and mentoring leaders in every sphere of influence through apologetics and worldview training, the man who thought success was wielding power in the highest earthly office spent his last years teaching, “God doesn't want our success; He wants us. He doesn't demand our achievements; He demands our obedience.”

 

Are you trying to do something apart from Jesus? If so, what? Why?