Today is Day 99 in my journey to understand, appreciate, accept, share and be transformed by God's love!
Here is what God has been showing me during my morning time this week. More and more He is making it obvious that I can do nothing as a lonely, isolated branch.
I cannot produce good fruit without being connected to the vine. ("I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" John 15:5).
If you look at the trees around your yard or in your local forested areas you will see branches that have been cut off from the nutrition provided by the tree. These branches are barren, have no leaves and are dried up and brittle. Imagine trying to serve while being one of these dried up branches. If a family came and set a rope swing on one of these barren branches, the branch would not hold up under the load of the swing.
I CAN DO NOTHING AS A LONELY, ISOLATED BRANCH. Yesterday I got the image of a Barrel of Monkeys. Remember those? How random. I haven't thought about those monkeys for decades! I'm definitely dating myself here as Barrel of Monkeys was created in 1965. It was a game where you hooked as many plastic monkeys together arm in arm and they would all hang as a string of monkeys. The goal was to hook as many monkeys together as you could without breaking the chain. God was showing me that if I'm the first monkey, I'm the one that is hooked onto the vine. The better my connection to the vine the more monkeys can hang from me because God's love flows through me to the other monkeys. It was an analogy to my ability to serve through His love. The better I'm connected, the more I can love and serve.
Keep reading the Gospels and journaling and post what God is showing you in the comments section.
Feeling blessed to be on this journey with all of you.
Love,
Coach Yurij
Comment
On Tuesday, June 26, 2018, Clarise Chan said:
Amen! That was my favourite game as a child :). It's so true Dr. Yurij. Often times I feel like I have to tackle things on my own but God created community so that we could ALL be empowered by His Spirit. When I link arms with other monkeys (or WARRIORS :)), we are all strengthened and can do even more. Thanks for this amazing revelation and wisdom!
On Friday, June 22, 2018, David Covey said:
Hey, wait a minute...are you saying we're all a bunch of monkeys?
On Thursday, June 21, 2018, Yves said:
Yes, I remember the barrel of monkeys! I have been praying for God to show me what He wanted to transform in me and the revelation this week is that I need to learn patience. It took a lot of patience and practice to get many monkeys connected. For me to be more loving and bear more fruit I need to be more patient in many areas of my life and in particular with the key relationships around me. I am learning that I can only do this by staying connected to the vine. Thanks Yurij. God Bless.
On Thursday, June 21, 2018, Joshua Nikkanen said:
Great analogy. We are all so connected and not only need to be connected with God, but with each other. Awesome.
On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Dr. Julie Donoso said:
Great word Coach! When I am living out my wounded self I tend to isolate myself, but this has reminded me that I will slowly wither away when I do that. I have been reading through Matthew and have been focusing on God's love. One thing that struck me in Matthew 2 was the STAR that God provided the wise men to show them the way to the Saviour! What an amazing God we serve! He always provides and He is faithFULL to show us the way. This spoke volumes to me and reminded me how much I am loved by God. Thank you for your leadership and wisdom Coach!
On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Stephen Lippitt said:
The words that jumped out of my morning time this morning were "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God", "You shall not put God to the test", and "The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve". That sounds to me like a great way for me to continue surrendering, and keep connected to the vine. Thanks Yurij.
On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Susanne O'Connor said:
Oh yes I remember well the barrel of monkeys game. And this analogy you just showed me is so fitting for the day I have just experienced. Today marks the day that my Kidney Doctor released me from the grip of her careful watch to the yearly check in with my medical doctor. I have had images all day of what this past year was like. I am 100% certain that I wouldn't be in this happy place right now if it weren't for me hooking onto His vine. My connection with God only strengthened during this turbulent time and for that reason alone, I wouldn't hesitate twice to do it all over again. This new level of love for God, I pray, will allow me to be more powerful for Him in all of my circles. Thank you Jesus. And thank you coach, for giving me the gift of this vision of monkeys. :) Susanne
Warrior Coaching
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On Tuesday, June 26, 2018, Clarise Chan said:
On Friday, June 22, 2018, David Covey said:
On Thursday, June 21, 2018, Yves said:
On Thursday, June 21, 2018, Joshua Nikkanen said:
On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Dr. Julie Donoso said:
On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Stephen Lippitt said:
On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Susanne O'Connor said:
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