“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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Those Who Do Not Remain In Me
Do you remember last week’s devotion on Day four of week one, where we talked about the two branches? Today we are going to focus on another branch that Jesus talked about. This is found in John 15:2: 1) Branches that belong to Jesus but aren’t bearing fruit need to be “lifted” by the gardener – Father. 2) Branches that belong to Jesus and are bearing fruit need to be carefully pruned for even greater fruit production. Now we will learn about the third branch – the kind that doesn’t remain in the vine. This is about the branch that chooses to leave. In verse 6, we get down…
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Those Who Remain In Me
Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 5 Do you know what is important to God? Here is a slight hint, it’s what he repeats. This is the time that you really want to pay close attention to these moments. Jesus wants us to understand something significant than an intriguing illustration. So let’s zone in a little deeper to the vine, the gardener, and the branch and see what the outcome is. IT is the fruit produced. The fruit is good for us. It gives us nutrients that our bodies need. And it tastes,…
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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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Rahab: Part One
Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there. Joshua 2:1 Rahab was a harlot or, in other words, a prostitute. She grew up in a pagan Canaanite culture of Jericho. This culture worshipped Baal and other idols. Joshua was the new leader when we first hear about Rahab. How and why did the spies meet Rahab? Read Joshua 2:2-7. What do we learn from this passage? The king of Jericho learned that spies of Israel were there. He…
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Eve
For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Romans 8:20-22 The first woman created- Eve. She will forever be the woman first to sin, who ate the forbidden fruit. Eve was the final part of creation. Then God rested. Eve was made for Adam to be a companion. A helpmate. They were meant to complement one another where the other was weak. Their strengths…
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Advent: Day Eleven
So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to David’s house and line. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to marry him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. Luke 2:4-6 . A pilgrimage. Have you ever went on a pilgrimage. Leaving behind the familiar life that you know and venturing into the unknown?? Having to hold onto God as your provider! This makes me think of missionary life. Joseph and Mary were called on a pilgrimage. They left behind…
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Advent: Day Ten
In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. Luke 2:1-3 . Proverbs 4:12 promises that “when you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.” God’s love ties us forward on the path He has ordained. Joseph and Mary were not planning on a trip to Bethlehem; however, God orchestrated circumstances in their lives to fulfill the prophecies of the Messiah. God can make these promises to us because His…