“ 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.” (John 15:5 KJV)
As a young seminarian, one prayer that I learnt which stuck with me is the Collect for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity culled from the liturgy of the Anglican Communion. The collect or prayer goes thus:
“O GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Although the voice modulation and the mannerism of my venerable principal made this prayer to stick; over the years the message or import of that prayer has constantly resonated in my spirit. It empowered my understanding of the eternal words of Christ in John 15:5, “…; for without me ye can do nothing.”
If there’s something that is uppermost in the heart of God, it’s the desire to fellowship and partner with man. All through Scriptures, from the beginning with Adam till today with us, God is ever reaching out to man. Howbeit, the partnership He so desires is not on our terms but on His own terms for it to work effectively for us.
Therefore, when we consciously walk and work with Him, He commits His integrity to confirm the promises, principles and precepts as enshrined in the Partnership Deed – His Word. (Mark 16:20) Conversely, when we refuse or fail to partner with Him, He’s displeasured. We can’t please Him without being in Him and He in us.
There are express clauses that govern every binding working relationship. For God to be irrevocably bound to you there are express clauses in His Word that we need to engraft and ingrain in our hearts to live them. Here are some very fundamental clauses to mark, remark and continuously rework.
1. Be One Spirit with the Lord.
For there to be a working partnership with God, there must fundamentally be, not just the meeting of minds, but that of spirits. Spiritual consensus will lead to oneness in the spirit. Paul said, “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Cor.6:17)
2. Remain Spiritually Minded.
When you allow the Holy Spirit of God to influence your thoughts, you starve every form of carnality. This is important because living in the realm of the flesh is antithetical to our partnership with God. We can’t please Him being carnally minded. (Roms.8:5-8)
3. Live by Faith.
God is not interested in our slavish obedience to some sets of rules, but He wants us to imbibe the spirit of His Word by believing Him for Who He is. Thereby living by the faith of Christ Who ratified and restored this partnership with The Father by His sinless Blood. It is impossible to partner with the Father without the engagement of the Faith of Christ. (Heb.11:6; Gal.2:20)
4. Be a Kingdom Addict.
When you become addicted to the God’s Kingdom via your sacrificial stewardships, you commit God to be addicted to blessing you. Our commitment to this partnership with God is proven by our sacrificial services. (Matt. 6:33; Ps.50:5)
5. Crave for Intimate Knowledge of God.
Intimacy authorises legitimacy in every legitimate relationship. The more we crave to know God and identify with His suffering and death, the more we experience His awesome great power. (Roms.6:3-11; Phil.3:10)
Hear this: Dormant partners don’t dominate! Only active and engaging partners make full proof of their partnership with God. Today is the best day to decide to actively partner with God because the Holy Spirit is here to enable you. Give Him the opportunity to work in and through you!
To your active partnership with God,
✝️Tochukwu Kemakolam
Prime Minister