Sappy

Hudson Taylor said something about being the vine and the branches that I like. It's a common metaphor that we have all heard, that Christ is the vine and we are the branches (And if you went to church growing up like I did you would end that with the lyric "His banner over me is love"). But good 'ol Hudson takes it to another level. He says that he doesn't want to just go after the sap of the tree. He doesn't want to just squeeze everything out of Christ. He wants to abide in Christ. He wants to be the tree, to be like the tree.

I love it. I absolutely love it. I confess that even when I don't know I am doing it, I am often looking for the bi-products of Christ rather than Christ himself. I want peace, truth, direction, comfort, love, wisdom, and bunch of other "good" things. And I cannot let that be my motivation for approaching the throne of God, for my day to day life, for His Kingdom. Give me Jesus. I just need Jesus. First. Foremost.