Our curriculum and program entails much time.
In our daily lives, it steals our time with the Lord, our
time with the family, our time for other important things. When we do have free time we sleep, go out
with friends, watch TV. Where is our time allotted for God?
Let us be reminded by John 15:5 which states that “Apart from Me, you can do nothing”. We can read all
we want, yet not understand. We can review all we want, yet not pass. This is because we do not have
Christ in us.
John 15:5
“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”
ABIDE can be equated to:
1. CONNECTION
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. When the branches are not
connected to the vine, they die. John 15:6 warns us of this “if anyone does not abide in
Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them
into the fire and they are burned”. We have to be connected with Him for in Him we live
and move and breath (Acts 17:26-27).
He wants to have a relationship with us. Rev 3:20 says “Behold I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come to Him and
eat with him and he with Me”. He is knocking in the door of our hearts seeking to eat
with us, commune with us. Let us build our relationship with Jesus. We can start by
simply praying by faith.
In the Old Testament, God spoke to his people like to Samuel, to Joshua, to
Moses. In the New Testament, Jesus was in the human form and had relationships with
people. Today we can have a relationship with the Lord through prayer, devotion or
reading the word of God, praise and worship, and fellowship with brothers and sisters in
Christ.
2. ENDURANCE
It is not enough for us to be connected to the vine. We have to remain or stay
connected despite everything we are going through. We have to overcome our
weaknesses, our busyness and our excuses. We are guilty of substituting or sacrificing
our time with the Lord for academics. Let us be reminded of Matt 16:26 which states
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”.
We can become successful doctors in the future, but if we are not connected in the vine,
all our efforts are for nothing. So let us start today. Overcome our excuses. Overcome
our busyness. Overcome our “tiredness”, procrastination. Jesus had overcome all these
things, and so could we. Let us continue to look up to Him. (Heb. 12:1-2)
When we first knew the Lord, we are very passionate or we have a great desire
to know Him more. May this passion and desire for Him continue to grow and grow in
our hearts.
He has given us 24 hours in a day, why can’t we give Him an hour? Or maybe 30
minutes? Let us manage the time given to us well. This is a reminder for all of us to
prioritize God.
If we give time to God, how about our studies?
Let’s continue reading John 15. Verse 7 says:
“If you abide in Me, and my words abide in
you, you will ask what you desire and it shall
be done for you”
In addition to this, there are so many more promises of the Lord. As we prioritize Him, our daily needs,
our daily lives, will smoothly flow. Some promises include:
Deuteronomy 31:8
“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor
forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
- When we feel like He has left us, He never does. He is always with us. When things get hard.
Remember, evaluate yourself. Are you connected to our lifeline?
1 Pet 5:6-7
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you”
- When we feel like we are failing in everything, just trust in the Lord and He will exalt us or
lift us up in due time.
- Let us give our cares or desires or worries to the Lord we don’t have to look elsewhere.
Just look up to Him
1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear”
- I admit, there have been so many times I have feared the course of medicine. Feared
meeting patients, feared the bulkiness of the subjects. But all these fears have been
eradicated as I have grown to know and experience more of His love. His love for you is so
high, so deep, so wide that we cannot even fathom! I pray that you would experience and
feel His great love for you. For it is His perfect love that casts out all our fears
Matt 6:33
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”
- Let us prioritize God and all the things in our lives will fall into place.
The Bible is filled with so many verses, so many promises! Let us find these promises and keep them
As we immerse ourselves in studying, we must keep at the forefront of our minds not only what we
study, but for whom – Kathryn Butler
hp.dotk2019
