“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
A woman named Nancy put this ad in her local newspaper: “If you are lonely or have a problem, call me. I am in a wheelchair and seldom get out. We can share our problems with each other. Just call. I’d love to talk.”
The response to that ad has been tremendous—30 calls or more every week.
What motivated this woman to reach out from her wheelchair to help others in need? Nancy explained that before her paralysis she had been perfectly healthy but in deep despair. She had tried to commit suicide by jumping from her apartment window, but instead, she became paralyzed from the waist down. In the hospital, utterly frustrated, she sensed Jesus saying to her, “Nancy, you’ve had a healthy body but a crippled soul. From now on you will have a crippled body but a healthy soul.”
As a result of that experience, she surrendered her life to Christ. When she was finally allowed to go home, she began to practice letting her light shine where she was, and in the condition she was in. As she did so, the idea of the newspaper ad occurred to her.
The foundation of the Christian walk is not attending church services or doing good deeds from time to time. The foundation is abiding in Christ; loving Him, talking to Him, listening to Him and then doing what He tells us to do. Every believer can abide in Christ, even if we are limited by sickness, old age, disability, or any other physical limitation. No matter what our condition,
we can be His, and our relationship with Him can be strong. You see, as Nancy was abiding in Christ, the fruit came forth.
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