“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).
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26, 27).
[This sample article, from Mrs. Young’s daily devotional book, is based on the preceding Scriptures. She specifies that, “you refers to you, the reader, so the persepective is that of Jesus speaking to you.”]
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“Do everything in dependence on Me.
The desire to act independently–apart from Me–springs from the root of pride. Self-sufficiency is subtle, insinuating its way into your thoughts and actions without your realizing it. But apart from Me, you can do nothing ; that is, nothing of eternal value.
My deepest desire for you is that you learn to depend on Me in every situation. I move heaven and earth to accomplish this purpose, but you must colIaborate with Me in this training. Teaching you would be simple if I negated your free will or overwhelmed you with My Power. However, I love you too much to withdraw the godlike privilege I bestowed on you as My image-bearer.
Use your freedom wisely, by relying on Me constantly. Thus you enjoy My Presence and My Peace.”
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Sarah Young, Jesus Calling, (Integrity Publishers), p. 261. [Title added by GN editor]
The author’s preface mentions, “The Bible is, of course, the only inerrant Word of God; my writings must be consistent with that unchanging standard….” p. XIII
Sarah and her husband have been ministering to Japanese people in Perth, Australia.
Scripture quotations (unless indicated otherwise) are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.