John 15:1-4 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abdie in me.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
President-elect Abraham Lincoln provides us a powerful perspective through his farewell remarks in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois in 1861 as he departed to become our nation’s sixteenth president:
“My friends — No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you and be every where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
From the Springfield Great Western Railroad Depot, Lincoln’s carefully-selected and Biblically-informed words directly mirror John 15:5. This perspective was true for him in 1861, and the same is also true for us and for our leaders today. Jesus reveals the ultimate dichotomy of impact – bearing much fruit or doing nothing: “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Specially, the same is true for President-elect Donald J. Trump who begins his next term in the coming days. As the members of President Trump’s leadership team leave their hometowns to converge upon Washington, D.C., they must heed the Biblical wisdom recited by Lincoln as he began his first term. In order to thrive, they must develop and maintain a constant connection to Christ, while being constantly commended through our prayers.
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR NEW GOVERNMENT TO ABIDE IN CHRIST AS WE FAITHFULLY COMMEND THEM THROUGH OUR PRAYERS TO OUR ALMIGHTY GOD. Our nation desperately needs our leaders to bear much fruit.
