Tag: branches

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

Abide in Me

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus,w2d1

Read: John 15:3-4; SOAP: John 15:4

(note: clicking the link for the above verse will allow you to read from whatever version you prefer)

3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 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.

John 15:3-4 NLT

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

John 15:3-4 KJV

Last week’s journey centered largely on the teaching of Jesus, that He is the vine, God is the gardener, and His disciples are the branches. He told the disciples that, as the Gardener, God will prune the branches that bear fruit so that they will produce even more fruit. Picking up today in verses three and four, we find Jesus encouraging His disciples that they are already clean because of the Word, or the Gospel message, he has spoken to them.

However, our focus is on the command that follows, what it means, what it doesn’t mean, and why it is important. Read it out loud: “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.”

  • What it means: We (the branches)are dependent on Christ (the life-giving vine).
  • What it doesn’t mean: The concept here is not about losing your salvation. Salvation is the free and eternal gift of God’s grace earned not by works but through faith in Jesus Christ. If you doubt this or have any questions, I urge you to visit https://www.gotquestions.org/vine-and-branches.html
  • Why it’s important to abide (remain) in Jesus: Jesus makes it clear to the disciples that they are to bear fruit, but that they cannot do that apart from Him. His emphasis here is that we need to stay intimately (closely, daily, nothing between us and Him) connected to Him in order to be spiritually healthy and bear fruit.

Friends, if we want to be healthy, fruit-bearing followers of Christ who spread light in/to the world around us, we must stay close to Jesus, our life-giving vine. In Him we find our strength, we find peace, and we bear fruit. Apart from Him, we will surely wither and fade.

Do you want to be a light for Him? Read His Word and pray daily. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will reflect Him.

Do you want your conversations to be encouraging and full of grace and truth rather than spewing hate, gossip, or lies? Spend time with Him in His Word. It truly has the power to change the way we think and speak, not to mention how we love others.

Do you want to love Him more and follow Him faithfully? Find the passages of His love poured out for you, His boundless grace, and His mercies that are new every morning are game changers.

James wrote it like this: Come close to God, and God will come close to you (James 5:8). I have both tested and tasted the truth of this statement, and I assure you it is a blessing beyond compare to experience the nearness of our God, and the relationship which blossoms from it.

Reflection: What are some areas in your life that may need “cleaning” or renewal through God’s Word?

The More We Know

“When new branches start to grow, they often droop low to the ground. As they touch the soil, dirt and mud begin to cling to them, which can stop them from growing strong and bearing good fruit. To help them thrive, a gardener has to gently lift the branches, carefully washing away the dirt, so they can reach their full potential and produce good fruit.

For us, we experience a similar “cleaning,” through God’s Word. As we read and renew our minds with Scripture, God shows us areas in our lives where things need to change. It may be areas where sin has muddled our lives and hindered us from receiving the nourishment we need to grow. But hope is not lost. Through God’s Word, it’s as if He lovingly lifts, cleanses, and restores us, allowing us to grow and bear the good fruit we were created to produce.”

Abiding in Jesus/p67

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Living In Community, Not Made to Be Alone, Quiet Time

Changed From The Inside Out

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click on any of the images for a larger view –

I don’t always read the devos from the LGG Journals – and never before I do my own journaling because I don’t want their take on the Word to influence what God might want to show me. However, as I was looking over my soap journal for today, an entry I made days ago, I was curious to see if they included any thoughts about – “apart from Him I can do nothing”, and boy did they! While this first one wasn’t the first one I read – it seems to highlight this week’s theme, “Created for Community With God”.

“The fruitfulness of our lives is a direct result of our connection to Jesus, not anything we can do. The love that we show to others, the joy we experience, the peace in our hearts, and the kindness that we share, it is all because of what God is doing in our lives, and He deserves the credit.“

Not Made To Be Alone, an LGG Study – p42
Nuggets of Gold

The following are more quotes from the LGG devotional for day 3, week 1 of Not Made To Be Alone. I encourage you to read these slowly and then read them again. May the truth of them penetrate and influence our minds and hearts as we proceed not only through this study but through life and living in community with God and others

“Community is not one-sided. … God is with us, not because He is obligated to do so as our Creator, but because He loves us.”

Ok, so this next one is my favorite and may become my new tag-line on my blog page as it highlights the reason I chose the name of the blog –

*** “When we live in community with God, we are changed from the inside out.”

This last one is some wonderful and encouraging advice – that I pray the Spirit will help us to recall every day. Check out what happens when we remain with Him and depend on Him –> out of a close relationship with Him flows life. 🦋

“As long as we remain in Christ, we will bear much fruit. We must choose, each day, to remain with Him and depend on Him. And when we do, He is there for us. We choose, through [love and obedience], to grow close to Him, and out of that relationship flows life. Being in community with God helps us rely less on ourselves and more on Him.”

Journal Entries/thoughts From ME

It’s Wednesday – don’t forget to check out https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/ for today’s blog post

This song was shared by a Journey Through the Word group member yesterday – seemed fitting for today’s post as well – may it lead you to worship and seek and reciprocate God’s abiding presence –

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Pray to Abide in Christ (1.0)

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The Importance of Prayer, A Love God Greatly Study – w2d5
Read: John 15:1-8; SOAP: John 15:5

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

John 15:5

I believe it is important to grasp the whole vine and gardener analogy to truly appreciate and rightly apply the message of verse 5.

In verses 1-4

  • Jesus likens Himself to a vine and God to a gardener,
  • He says we are the branches.
  • Some branches will be “taken away” and some “will be pruned”.
    • It is vital that we stay focused on the analogy of the vine, branches, and gardener and remember that in a real life gardening scenario some branches are already dead because they were never truly attached and viable, so they are thrown out. This is in no way teaching that believers will be cut away from Jesus.
  • The disciples would have understood the statement, “You are already clean” as a message from Christ that they were among those with a true saving faith. (see John 13:1-11)
  • Jesus teaches in verse 4 that if they remain or stay in Him/connect to Him then – in turn – He remains in them and they will produce spiritual fruit.

In verse 5, Jesus expands on what He’s already stated about Him being the vine and now makes it clear that we are the branches. Of course, this is just an analogy. Jesus isn’t truly a vine nor are we branches but it is a good illustration of how Jesus is the source of life for all who believe in HIm. Much like us working in our gardens, throwing away all the things that are dead and pruning our growing and viable plants and then enjoying the beautiful new blooms/growth in the weeks and months to come – Jesus teaches, when the branches are pruned – they will bear more “fruit”, bearing evidence of God’s work in our lives. He also teaches, the one who remains (abides … stays) in Him bears much fruit. You see, our faith involves active participation and this produces much fruit. However, the ones who just hang close to the vine but do not actively participate or take nourishment from the vine (remember they were never truly connected to the vine) will be cut off and thrown into the fire. In the analogy. as the gardener, God knows which are which and tends to us (the branches) accordingly. Finally, don’t miss that it is a joint participation – requiring not only us abiding in Him but Him abiding in us – for apart from Him we can accomplish nothing.

Father – through Faith – I am attached to Jesus, and He abides in me. help me to produce fruit to Your glory.