“just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” John 15:10-12 How much do you trust God? Do you ever feel like you are stepping off the ledge when He asks you to do something that is not you? Let’s read Hebrews 4:14-16 and 5: 4-9. How does Jesus help us hold firm to what we believe? What did Jesus face? What difference might it make to consider Jesus facing a struggle with similar roots? What is the invitation given in Hebrews 4:16? What is offered after the invitation? In chapter 5:4-9, how does this show the humility of Jesus and His…
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Obey My Commandments
When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, . . . John 15:10-12 How do you feel about being obedient to God and what He asks of you? Do you clench your jaw a little or a lot?? Well, let’s dive in a little about this today! When Jesus said, obey my commandments, you remain in my love, He wasn’t/ isn’t putting us behind jail bars. He was putting up guardrails to keep us from going off the cliff! Keeping us from falling away from His love. Obedience to Jesus keeps us in the staying power. It keeps us on the road to…
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Jesus Love For Us
I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. John 15:7-9 How does the Father love the Son, Jesus? Let’s find out from the following scriptures. Matthew 17:5 -While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him! Mark 1:11 John 3:35 – The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands. John 5:20 John 10:17 – This is why the Father loves Me because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. John 17:24 Colossians 1:19 –…
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May you ask
“you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” John 15:7-9 Do you know what your heart desires? Does it line up with God’s desires? In John 15:7, Jesus made an astonishing statement. You may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted. Is this the full access of a life abiding in Jesus means? Well, we have to remember the word “if.” The condition to having full access is tenaciously abiding. We have to remain in Jesus at all times. When we do this, our heart’s desire should be what God the father’s desires are. Look at John 3:22, “and can receive whatever we…
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Remaining In God-His Words Remain In You
“But If you remain in me and my words remain in you, . . . John 15:7 Do words matter to you? When people give you a compliment or a negative word, does it stay with you? Well, when we study God’s word, the bible, His words will remain in us. They take root and remain in us when we commit His word to memory when we sing His words, when we meditate on His words when we dig deeper to study His words when we hear His words through sermons, podcasts, and books. His words remain in us when we uplift others with His words. His word remains when…
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Six Practices For Believers
“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…
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Remain In Me
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. John 15: 4 Do you feel settled? Are you settled? When we remain in God, we will feel settled. What does remain mean? In the Greek text, the word remain is meno. It means “to stay, to continue with, to abide.” Now, look at the Latin word for maneo. It is the root word for the English words mansion and home. So why is this important to know? Well, when Jesus asked us to remain in Him, He was inviting us to settle our souls into His life-giving presence as a permanent resident. This is where we get to live forever.…
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Pruned and Purified
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.” John 15:1-3 Do you think that gardening takes time? Or patience? How about waiting? It sure does. So does our life when God is pruning us. Stop and think about when the seed is first planted when you get to pick the fruit of that plant? You wait months for the plant to produce fruit. This is how it can be in our very own lives. It can take a while for the spiritual fruit to blossom for others to see. There are two things mentioned in John 15:3. Pruning and purification. In pruning by God,…
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No Producing Fruit Or Producing Fruit
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit, so they produce even more. John 15:1-3 Pruning! I think this would be the hardest part of gardening. I have plants, I have learned that the dead leaves are to be removed, and the plant will be healthy again. Sometimes I wonder if I am pruning my plants right. I wonder if God feels the same way when He has to start pruning in our lives? What is His motivation for pruning in our lives? Why is it so…
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The Gardener
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.” John 15:1-3 Do you know God? Do you know who He is? Do you know what He is like? Jesus uses two metaphors in these first three verses. These metaphors reveal important things about who The Father and Himself are. Jesus states that He is the TRUE grapevine. Why do you think it is important that He states that…