“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. John 15:4-6
Let’s review somethings from a few days ago.
Six practices
- We think about Jesus
- We talk to Jesus
- we talk about Jesus
- We love Jesus and let him love us.
- We trust Jesus and believe what He tells us.
- We engage meaningfully with others who love Jesus.
We think about Jesus. How much of your day do you think about Jesus? When do you spend time with God? What are your first thoughts of the day when you wake up, and what are your last thoughts at the end of the day? How do you set the spiritual tone for the day? I challenge you to have the first thought about Jesus when you wake up before your feet even hit the floor. Are you looking at where God is working throughout your day? Read Philippians 4:8. How might thinking about these things keep your mind settled into the presence of Jesus?
We talk to Jesus. To really stay connected to Jesus, we have to talk to him; this is what we call prayer. I talk to God when I am afraid, angry, sad, happy, etc. Do you? You can talk to him any time of the day, and anywhere you are at. I remember many times as a teen talking to God in the hallways of my school. Read Phillippians 4:6-7. What do we learn about prayer here?
We talk about Jesus. Have you ever had an obsession with someone or something? It’s all one can talk about. Do you have this obsession with Jesus? Do you talk about him with others? Read 1 Peter 2:9. How do you show others the goodness of God through your conversations about Jesus? What would you want to say?
We love Jesus and let Him love us. Read Romans 5:8. The pattern of our love relationship with God is this: God loves us, We receive that love, We love him back. God always initiators love. We respond to his love.
We trust Jesus and believe what He tells us. To abide in Jesus, we have to trust him. We don’t have to understand everything to trust Him.
We engage meaningfully with others who love Jesus. Abiding in Jesus may be personal between you and Jesus; it is never a solo journey. Look at grapes; they grow in clusters, as believers; we also can grow together.
What areas do you need to improve on?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for loving us first. I pray that we will respond to your love. I pray that we will talk to you and about you with others. I pray that we will engage with other believers.
In Jesus Name
Amen
