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Blog | Merry Ohler | Wedding Photographer Kansas City

Kansas City Wedding Photographer | Ethereal, Cinematic, Intimate. | Merry Ohler writes about elopements, weddings, photography tips and more. Check out the most recent post today!

Living New

"Mama, what's THIS?" She held up her half-eaten apple core and pointed to the stem.

I explained the way each apple must draw nutrients from the tree in order to grow. We remarked about how a stem is kind of similar to a belly button, because babies receive their nourishment through the umbilical cord when in mama's belly, too. Without that connection to their life source, there could be no growth.

"This is how it is with My Spirit." His whisper-quiet voice stirred. "It is only by My Spirit that you can grow."


And of course He was right.

No amount of our works, or desire, or reading all the right things, or singing all the right songs, or any other thing can yield the kind of transformation and growth we so desperately need.

Because it isn't about us and what we can do at all. It never has been. Never will be.

But the Grower? Our Source?


The fruit He will yield in our surrender is limitless.

And we can take no credit for it. It's all His doing. Our part is to remain pliable in His gentle, mighty hands.

To say yes before He asks the question.
To pour out every drop of self on the altar for His glory.
To invite Him to search every dark corner of our inner and outer lives, that He might shine redemptive light in all those places we don't really like to talk about.

And also all those places we dearly love to talk about.


But when we aren't in the Word, we aren't living by the Spirit, and we end up relying on others to feed us the nourishment His Word alone can rightly give.

Beloved, Jesus didn't die just so you wouldn't have to go to hell, or so you could just hear about all the good things He has done for others. He was crucified on the cross and resurrected three days later to defeat the power of sin and death once and for all, so you could be freed from your sin nature, so you could enter God's family, and so you could be made NEW.

Not better.
Not wealthier.
Not more influential.
Not so you could try harder,
or talk quieter,
or not cuss so much.

He died and rose so we could live completely, totally NEW. Here, now.


And it's only through His Word, made alive in our hearts by the power of Holy Spirit, that we can grow and be transformed.


Lord, make us hungry for Your Word!