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Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Obedience is Key

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based on Abiding in Jesus, w4d5, by love God Greatly

Read and SOAP: John 14:23-24

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.

John 14:23-24

Obedience, obedience, obedience—this has been the week’s focus. Each passage emphasizes the connection between our love of God and our obedience to the Word. Jesus clearly wants us, His disciples, to understand the importance of obedience in a disciple’s life.

Obedience to God’s Word is the key:

Friends, consider this: God’s love for us was made obvious in the person of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Through His life, death, and resurrection, and the declaration that because He loved the world so much, He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life. Likewise, our love for Him is to be made obvious and, as we have seen this week, the evidence of our love is through obedience to His Word.

“True love is a joyful giving of oneself, happy to please the other and glad to do whatever is asked.”

Abiding in Jesus, p135

It is worth noting: God loved and saved us when we were still His enemies (Romans 3:23:5:10; 6:23). So our obedience to God does not gain, increase, or secure His love, nor is it the means of our salvation. Salvation is not by anything we can do. It is the miraculous gift of God’s grace to those who place their faith solely in Christ Jesus, His Son (Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 4:12)

The More We Know

For more insight into today’s passage, read today’s LGG blog post

While God loves the whole world, Jesus is speaking about a kind of intimacy and love that is promised only to God’s people. The Father will come in a special way to those who love and obey Him. He will comfort, protect, lead, and provide for them. He will never leave them.

Abiding in Jesus, p135
Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Building on the Rock

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based on Abiding in Jesus, w4d4

Read and SOAP: Matthew 7:24-25

Building on The Rock

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.

Matthew 7:24-25

How firm a foundation are you standing on? Will you be able to stand strong when the rain falls and the waters rise? When the winds of life blow hard, will you be able to stand firm?

Friends, we must commit to building a firm foundation on the rock of ages, the rock of our salvation – Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. When you need refuge, make it your habit to flee to Jesus. Trust that God will strengthen you, help you, and hold you up with His victorious right hand. You can depend on Him, even in your deepest distress, your fiery trials, or river of sorrows. For this I know to be true – He will pour out, in bountiful supply, His all-sufficient grace ~ and prove His sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love. Find rest in him my friend, for He has promised to never forsake those who abide and find their rest in Him. Though the worst of evils attempt to shake us – He stands with us and for us and will never leave us as prey to our foes1

The More We Know

Key Scriptural Connections

  • Isaiah 41:10:This verse, which speaks of God’s presence and strength, is echoed in the hymn’s second verse, which assures believers of God’s aid and support. 
  • Isaiah 43:2:The hymn’s third verse about facing deep waters and fiery trials is reminiscent of Isaiah 43:2, where God promises to be with those who go through trials. 
  • Hebrews 13:5:The hymn’s promise of never being forsaken is a direct reference to Hebrews 13:5, which states that God will never leave or forsake His people. 
  • Matthew 7:24-27: The hymn’s overall theme of building a life on a solid foundation is inspired by this parable, which emphasizes the importance of building on the rock of Jesus’s teachings. 
  • 1 Corinthians 3:11: This verse highlights Jesus Christ as the only foundation for believers, which aligns with the hymn’s message of faith in God’s word. 

Into the Text, by LGG, offers more beautiful insight in today’s post. Read it, soak it in and look for ways to build upon the Rock – the firm foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 10:4; Psalm 62:6 and 18:2)

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

The Evidence of Obedience

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based on , Abiding in Jesus, w4d3

Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

1 John 3:24

Read and SOAP: 1 John 3:24

I love this verse and have committed it to memory. Why? Because I love the reminder that we aren’t expected to obey God in our own strength, but through the Spirit He has given us. It is the Spirit who teaches us all things God wants us to know and reminds us of everything Jesus told His disciples, (Jn 14:26). Today’s journal entry reminds us: “When we start to wander away from Jesus, when the lure of the world gets strong and our love grows cold, the Holy Spirit will draw us back to His Word. When we stumble and fall, giving in to temptation, the Holy Spirit will convict us and lead us to repentance.” As surely as we are dependent on Jesus for salvation, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us in the understanding and living out of God’s Word. And, as we discovered in the early part of this journey, it is through the Spirit that we are able to reflect the character of God through the fruit of the Spirit.1

 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

Friends, without the Spirit … we cannot live and love like Jesus. Instead, we will live in the ways of the old nature, doing evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. Paul wrote that when we do this the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. This is a far different result from living in obedience to and fellowship with the Father and walking in step with the Spirit, which produces: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Remember that God Himself lives in you. He has cleansed you, and given you a new life. He will complete the good work He has started in you. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we are enabled to keep God’s commandments.

p 127, Abiding in Jesus

Let’s give God thanks for giving us His Spirit, who helps us obey and abide. My our lives be reflections of your love and truth. Let’s ask God to help us remain close to Him and faithfully abide, so that our lives will be a reflection of His love and truth.

The More We Know
Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

The Proof is in the Living

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w4d2

Read James 1:22-25 and SOAP: James 1:22

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:22-25

Our works do not save us, but they do bear witness to our salvation through Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

If you know me or have followed my posts, you most likely know that 2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of my key life verses.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

The truth of Paul’s words rocked my world many years ago and continues to push me to live as a new creation and not the old. For, as Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, we have been created in God’s image–in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. What a beautiful reminder of the need and reason for believers to abide in Jesus (the Way, Truth, and Life) – for how can we be like one we do not know or spend time with?

Today’s journal entry in Abiding in Jesus, by Love God Greatly, explains it like this: “When we become Christians, we are given a new nature, a new birth. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us. He is the sap flowing from the vine into the branches, producing a godly character. That is why when we abide in Christ, we will bear fruit.”

James reminds us that becoming a Christian is only the beginning. The real proof of a person having been born again is that he or she will now ‘live out the message.'”

Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy redemption,
Didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master,
My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.

Living for Jesus who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

Living for Jesus, Author: Thomas O. Chisholm (1917)

Of course, “Living for Jesus” comes with challenges that we all struggle with. As the Love God Greatly entry points out, “The walk of a Christian is not an uninterrupted series of victories over sin. We often stumble and fail. Sometimes it looks like we are going two steps forward and three steps backward. But if we belong to Jesus, we will have victories over sin again and again. We will be different from the way we used to be. We will steadily grow in holiness and godly character. We have a living faith, not a dead, fake one. We are a living branch, abiding in the Vine and producing good fruit. The Father will make sure His children walk in His ways, to prove that we really belong to Him. We know these works do not justify us, but they are the proof of our having been made new in Jesus.”

Friends, my prayer is that God will help us to be more than spectators or listeners of His Word. May we have the courage and faithful commitment to abide in Jesus, the Living Word, and to live it out every day. May we be always mindful that while our works do not save us, they glorify God in Heaven and give evidence that we have been made new through Jesus Christ. To God be all the glory, praise, and honor. Amen and Amen!

The More We Know

If you do not know Jesus, I invite you to read the truths about who He is and what He has done for you.

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/
Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Remain in my Love

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Based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w4d1

Read and SOAP: John 15:9-10

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain (abide) in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain (abide) in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain (abide) in his love.

John 15:9-10

Several verses came to mind as I was contemplating today’s passage.

  • The first was John 14:15, where Jesus told His disciples: “If you love me, you will obey me.”
  • The second one was the words of Jesus at the Mount of Olives, where He prayed: “Father, not my will but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42
  • Last, but not least, was the command of Jesus to His disciples in John 13:34: “Love one another; Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”

After reading through today’s verses I backed up for a broader understanding of the text and found that, in this same conversation with His disciples, Jesus declared in John 14:11 that “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” In other words, they (the Father and Son) are intertwined in love and purpose. This being said, it stands to reason that Jesus’ love is a reflection of God’s love; and likewise, when we remain in Jesus, we will live obediently and love deeply reflecting God’s love to the people/world around us.

As believers we have a choice to follow the Jesus Way or go our own way. The first leads to life, joy, and peace. It offers forgiveness and freedom and a close relationship with God (Father, Son, and Spirit). Going our own way, on the other hand, leads to misery in the ‘wilderness’, which is separation or interruption to an otherwise close/right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.1

When we learn to remain in His love, obedience stops being a burden and becomes a beautiful response to the One who loves us beyond measure. It becomes an act of trust, knowing that His rules are rooted in His perfect love for us.

Love God Greatly, Abiding in Jesus, p119

Friends, have you ever read something or heard someone speaking and wondered how they knew exactly what you were thinking or had done? Today’s devotion by Love God Greatly, for w4d1 of Abiding in Jesus, is one of those scenarios for me, specifically, the way she prayed for her girls. What follows that first paragraph is, in large part, mirrored in my own journal entry for today, which was written a day before I ever read the LGG entry I’m sharing below.

INTO THE TEXT: by love God Greatly, journal entry from, Abiding in Jesus,p119

Through the years, I have prayed that as my girls grew, their love for God would deepen. My prayer has always been that they would understand obedience to God isn’t about checking boxes or following a list of rules but about responding to His overwhelming love for them.

When we grow in our relationship with Jesus and learn to abide in Him more and more each day, He begins to transform us from the inside out, giving us both the desire and the strength to obey Him. When we learn to remain in His love, obedience stops being a burden and becomes a beautiful response to the One who loves us beyond measure. It becomes an act of trust, knowing that His rules are rooted in His perfect love for us.

To abide in Jesus’ love is to live in the assurance that we are deeply cherished. His love changes everything. It fuels our desire to follow Him and enables us to reflect that love to others. Joyful, willing obedience is very different from begrudgingly following a set of rules. It comes from delighting in Jesus and letting His love so fill our hearts that we will, in turn, love Him with all of our hearts.

The key to obedience is love. The more we fall in love with Jesus, the more willing we are to follow Him. And as we do, our relationship with Him deepens, allowing us to bear fruit that blesses others and fills our hearts with joy.

Prayer, Abiding in Jesus, by LGG/p119

Dear Jesus, thank you for cherishing me. Help me to remain in your love and to obey You out of my love for You. Teach me to walk closely with You and bear fruit that brings You glory. Amen.

The More We Know

For more insight, check out today’s LGG Blog Post

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Mind, Heart, and Habit

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w3d4

Read and Soap: Psalm 119:15-16

 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Psalm 119:15-16 KJV and almost word for word ESV

A personal and intimate relationship with God doesn’t just magically happen. As with any good relationship, it requires personal commitment and an investment of time on our part. The psalmist breaks it down with three emphatic statements: 1) “I will meditate on Your precepts and focus on Your behavior. 2) I will delight in your statutes. 3) I will not forget Your instructions.” As Pastor and Bible teacher, David Guzik says in his commentary on Psalm 119:9-16,1 “The psalmist challenges us to commit to God’s Word in mind, heart, and habit.” In other words, let His Word dwell in your mind, reign in your heart, and be the habit of your life.

Challenge yourself to commit to God’s Word – in mind, heart, and habit.

David Guzik

Friends, if we want a relationship with God that is more than mundane, then I believe we must “emphatically2 choose to rise up and meet the challenge. We must commit to meditate3 on His Word, let it dwell in our hearts, and guide our habits. To be clear, meditation is more than a simple act of reading the Word; it is the practice of focusing our mind on God and His Word. It is training our thoughts and activities around His Word. It is dwelling in and on it and letting it dwell in us. This kind of focus keeps us mindful of the Word in every part of life, ensuring that we do not forget what God has told us about Himself and what He expects from us, and keeping us alert to the enemy.

The More We Know

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Living by the New Nature

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Based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus

Read and SOAP: Galatians 5:22-23

 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23

For two weeks now, we have read and talked about our responsibility, as believers, to “bear fruit.” So it should come as no surprise that we have reached the definition or description of the fruit a believer should produce. The thing I love about Paul is that he not only tells us what the fruit of the new nature is, but he reminds his readers what the old nature looks like.

At the moment of conversion, the Christian receives a new nature. It is instantaneous. Sanctification, on the other hand, is the process by which God develops our new nature, enabling us to grow into more holiness through time. This is a continuous process with many victories and defeats as the new nature battles with the “tent” in which it resides—the old man, old nature, flesh.

Gotquestions.org

In contrast to the earlier description of the sinful nature, which wants to do evil, our new nature (controlled by the Spirit of God) wants to do what is good and right. Before Paul lists out the “fruit of the Spirit (or new nature),” he highlights the details of the old nature. They include sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealous, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Paul says that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God!

On the contrary, Paul writes that those who live by the Spirit instead of the old sinful nature will be noticeably different. He explains that the Spirit produces evidence of a godly character. As we grow in our understanding and love of God we will become more loving, experience more joy and exhibit more patience and self-control. We won’t be so quick to get angry or be unkind, instead we will known for our gentleness, goodness, and faithfulness. And, instead of missing out on the Kingdom of God, those who live by the Spirit will inherit the Kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.

Galatians 5:22-26
The More We Know

Friends, I should tell you, Galatians is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It played a great part in the transformation and growth of my faith and understanding of God’s grace. In large part, Paul has written this part of the letter because he knew many were struggling with the old nature. He’s trying to help them understand that they no longer are to live as though they are still slaves to sin, for they have been set free and given a new nature. Yet, somehow, they are back to believing that circumcision can save them and have lost sight of the faith they professed and the truth that it is the only way to God. They are now trying to add works to their faith. Paul reminds them that this is futile, as faith alone in Christ alone is the message of the Gospel. May we never lose sight of this truth and may we always stand in awe of His grace and mercy.

For more insight on today’s journey read today’s LGG Blog Post

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

God Word: The Living Water

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Based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus

Read and SOAP: Psalm 1:1-3

Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1:1-3

This Psalm is a familiar one, and as such, it is easy to read through it without truly reading it. So I was surprised when I found myself writing down this thought in the margin of my journal: “Connect yourself to the sewer and you will look and smell like the sewer. Connect yourself to the Father, Son, and Spirit, and you will grow strong and healthy on streams of living water.”

Instead of aligning our lives with the world and seeking wisdom and nourishment from the malnourished, we need to root ourselves in God’s Word, the Living Water. Then, no matter the season, we are secure and stable because we are rooted and established in Him.

Abiding in Jesus, p79

Friends, where and with whom we spend our time, or what and with whom we listen to, matters. If you’ve bought into the notion that a verse a day keeps the enemy away or produces a strong, healthy tree, laden with fruit, then you’ve been duped. If we want to be like a tree planted by flowing streams and yielding its fruit at the proper time, if we want our leaves to never fall off and to succeed in all we attempt, then we must spend time with God, meditating on His Word day and night, and obeying His commands. Let’s be picky about who we seek advice from or confide in. Certainly, we are to live in the world and be a light in the darkness – but Paul warns us to let God transform us into a new person, by changing the way we think, so that we do not copy the behavior and customs of the world.

May God help us to drink often from the Living Water, stay rooted in His Word, and reflect Him to the world around us. Let us not succumb to the darkness but light it up with the love and reflection of Jesus.

The More We Know

When our lives are rooted in God’s Word, our joy no longer hinges on our circumstances but rather on obeying His commands. From the world’s view, our lives might look like a mess, yet we can remain calm, knowing that our Heavenly Father is working everything according to His perfect plan. It is in those hurricanes of heartbreak that should have uprooted us that we are able to stand grounded and strong. Our leaves and fruit will never dry up because He is the never-ending, always and forever Living Water.

Abiding in Jesus, p79
Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

More than Appearance

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Based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w2d3

Read and SOAP: John 15:6

If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up.

John 15:6 NLT

I’m sure you’ve heard it said, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” There is much truth in this statement, which came to mind as I was reading through some commentaries on today’s passage. One particular statement about putting on an appearance of faith but not really being connected to the True Vine highlighted the truth more than any other. Sadly, I have not only been the one who thought someone was connected to Jesus when they weren’t, but I have also been the one who appeared connected when, in reality, I was just going through the motions.

Why does it matter?

Earlier in our journey, as Bibleref.com points out, “Jesus distinguished between branches in a vine and branches, which abide in the vine.” In other words, “Merely being close to the source of life is not enough; neither is being intertwined with other branches. For putting on the appearance of faith is not the same as being born again.1” It is crucial to understand this, as “Only branches truly connected to the source of life, the true vine, will bear fruit.” Another critical and difficult truth of Jesus’ teaching here is that – “A good vinedresser (gardener) cuts out those dead, fruitless branches and destroys them. The analogy Jesus presents here is not about the loss of salvation, which is impossible. Rather, His message is about those who ‘put on’ an appearance of faith, but are disconnected from the True Vine that gives eternal life.”

We must remember, “bearing true spiritual fruit” is only possible through the Vine – Christ ‘in’ us. And – that fruit, like any other good works or holiness, is always presented as evidence of salvation, never as a requirement for it.

Bibleref.com/John 15:6

Reflection question: Are there areas in your life where you feel disconnected or spiritually dry? How might renewing your connection with Jesus help restore these areas and allow you to bear the fruit He desires for you?

The More We Know

While there are many in the church today who claim to be Christians, if all they produce is bad, rotten fruit, they are not true disciples of Jesus and have never been attached to the true Vine. … At the same time, we may be confident that if we have truly surrendered ourselves to Jesus, the Father will make sure that we bear fruit. He has promised it. He will judge those who don’t belong, but He prunes and disciplines those who do. He will cut away the dead branches but cultivate the living ones.” From the LGG Journal, p75

For more insight on today’s journey, be sure and read today’s LGG Blog Post

  1. “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ Matthew 7:21-23 ↩︎
Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Fruitful Abiding

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus,w2d2

Read: John 15:5; SOAP: John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.

John 15:5 NET

If you had to do a double-take to make sure you weren’t rereading the previous post, rest assured, you’re not. It is, however, quite similar. It actually appears that Jesus was recapping His previous statements. Repetition in Scripture is quite common and is meant to get our attention. In verses 1-4 of John 15, Jesus has made numerous references to Himself as the vine and has clarified several times that the disciples are the branches, as well as the role and importance of abiding. Bearing fruit is also mentioned five times, emphasizing the role of the branch. What we see from all the repetition is that Jesus wants His disciples to understand the importance that He and the Father play in the life of a disciple, and to know that while bearing fruit is the goal for every believer, they cannot accomplish this without the Vine and the Gardener.

 “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.

John 15:1-5

While some may be overwhelmed at the thought of having to bear “much” fruit, they should find hope and encouragement that they do not have to do it alone. Still others, the “I can do this myself” person, may see it as a personal challenge and plow ahead, determined to get it done, yet find it discouraging when they yield no fruit in their own strength. This is because abiding is the key. As today’s LGG Journal entry points out, we must “remember our role. We are branches, not the Vine. When we’re weak, He is strong, and it’s perfectly okay” (and necessary) “to lean into that truth. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. When we abide in Him, He does the heavy lifting.”

Because I am at a place in my life where the simplest of tasks can, at times, seem overwhelming, knowing that I do not have to “bear much fruit” by myself comes as great encouragement. However, this does not mean I can sit idly by. I must faithfully live in Christ. This means that I must daily depend on Jesus through faith and prayer. When a believer lives like this, they draw nourishment from the Vine and tender care from the Gardener, which produces more and more fruit from the branch.

Friends, may we not strive in our own strength but stay connected to the Vine and yielded to the Gardener, so that we bear much fruit and draw others to Him.

Reflection Question: In what areas of your life do you feel pressure to produce or make things happen on your own? How might focusing on abiding in Jesus, rather than striving, help you bear fruit in a way that brings peace and joy?