"More Than We Know"

 "But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." (Hebrews 6:8 KJV)

  ""Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciple. This brings great glory to my Father."" (John 15:5-8 NLT)

 As I have studied this, it is more and more about our need for Him; basically, there is no real life for a branch that is not attached to the Vine! There are certain times we might drift away and neglect our need to stay close to the Lord; but from what I know from my own personal experience, it doesn't last for very long at all. As a matter of fact, we get to a point when we realize what we have missing, and there is always His outstretched arms ready to forgive us. 

 Hopefully that is what you have experienced as well? Because it is very important that you know how much He loves you, even if you mess up and fall away; if you are sincerely His child, you are not going to fall very far! Please understand that and always remember you belong to Him, always! 

 Anywho, there is more to this than just what we might believe, because there are always certain times when we might have doubt or think we don't belong, as if we are not worthy. If that is ever the case, we need to embrace the weakness and give everything to the Lord, letting Him give us strength! To be totally honest, we are not worthy, and we never belonged: but He has made us His, therefore we are perfectly made to be conformed to His image; the Refiner's Fire is always at work...

 "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change or decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 

 "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

 "You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9 NLT)