“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - Jesus in John 15:5 NIV
The heart of Jesus’ words in John 15 is about a deepening friendship with him that produces fruit in our lives. This fruit is enjoyable to us and a blessing to others, but it will not grow outside of our relationship with Jesus. In fact, Jesus teaches that the amount of fruit produced in our lives is proportionate to the depth of our relationship with him.
This week, stretch yourself by setting aside a 1 hour block of time to spend with Jesus. I suggest focusing on a small section of his words in chapters 13-17 of John. Choose 10-15 verses and read them over and over. And don’t just read the words, listen to them; let them soak into your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. When you pray, don’t just recite your requests to the Father. Get quiet with Jesus and ask him to lead you to pray as he wants you to pray. End your time by writing in your journal, if you have one, or by writing a letter to Jesus.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Love that produces obedience
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” - Jesus in John 14:15 NIV
Just like last week with John 14:12, it’s easy to get the meaning of this verse mixed up. This statement of Jesus is NOT meant to be a challenge to his followers. In other words, Jesus is not saying, “Ante up! If you say you love me, start showing it by obeying me.” This perspective misses the heart of Jesus and misses the essence of true trust and love.
Jesus IS saying that if you do love him as he is, you will be filled with a strong desire to obey him because you will see his ultimate goodness and glory and wisdom. This strong desire will actually motivate and enable you to obey him. Your heart will be shouting. “He’s the one! I will obey him because this is the most fulfilling thing I can do in life.”
This week, write a letter of praise to Jesus. DON’T write it from a religious perspective. Write it like you’re a person in love telling the one you love how great they are and why you love them so much. Think about the words you are writing and let them sink into your heart.
Just like last week with John 14:12, it’s easy to get the meaning of this verse mixed up. This statement of Jesus is NOT meant to be a challenge to his followers. In other words, Jesus is not saying, “Ante up! If you say you love me, start showing it by obeying me.” This perspective misses the heart of Jesus and misses the essence of true trust and love.
Jesus IS saying that if you do love him as he is, you will be filled with a strong desire to obey him because you will see his ultimate goodness and glory and wisdom. This strong desire will actually motivate and enable you to obey him. Your heart will be shouting. “He’s the one! I will obey him because this is the most fulfilling thing I can do in life.”
This week, write a letter of praise to Jesus. DON’T write it from a religious perspective. Write it like you’re a person in love telling the one you love how great they are and why you love them so much. Think about the words you are writing and let them sink into your heart.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Flow of Trust
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.” - Jesus in John 14:12 NIV
Jesus makes it clear that if your faith, your confidence, is in him, you will do what he did. Wait a second. Didn’t I write just last week that WWJD is not the right question? God is not just trying to get us to do his will. His goal is transform us into the kind of people who WANT to do his will.
Trust is the key link in this. We don’t say, “Oh, if I say I believe in Jesus, I better do what Jesus did.” Matthew 7:21-23 makes it clear that there are some people who do “Jesus” types of things who don’t really trust Jesus. We don’t try to do what Jesus did to prove we believe in him. God’s desire is to grow authentic faith in Christ in us that causes his actions to flow from inside us.
This week, use the prayer of Psalm 139:23-24 to help you understand God’s work in you in this area. Pray this prayer, asking God to lead you in His everlasting way of trust that results in Jesus’ passions and actions flowing from inside you.
Jesus makes it clear that if your faith, your confidence, is in him, you will do what he did. Wait a second. Didn’t I write just last week that WWJD is not the right question? God is not just trying to get us to do his will. His goal is transform us into the kind of people who WANT to do his will.
Trust is the key link in this. We don’t say, “Oh, if I say I believe in Jesus, I better do what Jesus did.” Matthew 7:21-23 makes it clear that there are some people who do “Jesus” types of things who don’t really trust Jesus. We don’t try to do what Jesus did to prove we believe in him. God’s desire is to grow authentic faith in Christ in us that causes his actions to flow from inside us.
This week, use the prayer of Psalm 139:23-24 to help you understand God’s work in you in this area. Pray this prayer, asking God to lead you in His everlasting way of trust that results in Jesus’ passions and actions flowing from inside you.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
WWJD Is Not The Right Question
WWJD, “What would Jesus do?”, is NOT the right question. God’s goal is not just to get you to do what Jesus did. His primary goal is to transform you into the kind of person Jesus is. God wants to help you become the kind of person that truly WANTS to do what Jesus does and then you will not have to ask “WWJD?”. His goodness will FLOW naturally and supernaturally from inside you.
This week, ask WIJL? -- What is Jesus like? Make a list of character attributes, not actions, that you see in Jesus in the gospels. After you make your list, spend some time with the Father, asking Him to make you into a Jesus kind of person. As you cooperate with the Father in this process, Jesus’ actions will flow from your transformed character.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)