Email

Tweet

Daily Devotions - Entries tagged "John 15"

FriFridayAugAugust12th2011 Friday, August 12

Posted Friday, August 12 2011 @ 5 AM byJeff Walser Tagged Devotions I AM I AM the Vine Jeff Walser John John 15 0 comments Add comment

The "I AM" message series concludes next Sunday with Pastor Jeff Walser teaching on Jesus' words in John 15:5, "I am the Vine."

As we prepare our hearts for that message, this week in our devotionals we will be reading and reflecting on John chapter 15. We thank Jeff, WBC's Executive Discipleship Pastor, for also preparing this week's devotional thoughts.

This week we've been focusing on John 15, verses 1-15. But today, I want us to jump to the very end of this encouraging and challenging chapter, where Jesus makes a startling statement.

26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning." -- John 15:26-27

In verse 26, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will bear witness about who He is and testify to His authority and Kingdom. He then says that His followers will do the same. Ultimately, the fruit we bear as we abide in Christ is a witness that gives testimony and proof of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As we end this week of reflections on John 15, we need to remind ourselves that this life is not about us -- our comfort, our expectations, or even our fruitfulness. It is about the glory of God. It's about how our witness, our testimony, our fruitfulness points to the One who deserves the worship and devotion of every creature on the planet.

Over and over, Jesus and the leaders of the early Church remind us that we who have freely received so much from our Lord are to freely give everything, in order that His Kingdom might expand.

We are warned not to hide the light or the love that Christ has poured into our lives. We are repeatedly encouraged not to keep the gifts, blessings, and the fruits He has given to ourselves. In fact, Jesus lovingly but firmly exhorts us to live sacrificially and to intentionally witness and testify for Him in word and deed so His Kingdom might expand.

In the first Chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians, he writes that he is thankful that the faith and trust that the Colossians have in Christ Jesus is bearing fruit by growing and being extended to more and more people. As divine fruit-bearers (fruit that comes from His work in our lives) we have a profound responsibility. We are to move into the lives of those all around us -- our family, our neighbors, our workplaces -- with the life-changing reality of God's love and the message of the Gospel of salvation in Christ alone.

In Colossians, Paul specifically speaks to "bearing fruit in every good work" (Colossians 1:10). Later in that letter, he will request prayer and ask his audience to follow him in reaching the world for Christ.

Yes, we are to abide in Christ and we know as we do that we will bear much fruit. Today, let's remember that we exist to love God and love others intentionally and sacrificially. Let's remember that Jesus' very last instructions for us -- as He ascended into heaven -- were to go into all the world and share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Father,

How natural and easy it is for me to turn inward and stock up all the fruit for myself and those closest to me. Help me to keep before me the mandate You have given to be about others and not myself. Help me to see those around me who need Your love, Your joy, Your peace, Your patience, kindness, goodness, fruitfulness, gentleness and self-control. Help me to step out of my comfort in order that the whole world may know and love You.

Amen

ThuThursdayAugAugust11th2011 Thursday, August 11

Posted Thursday, August 11 2011 @ 5 AM byJeff Walser Tagged Devotions I AM I AM the Vine Jeff Walser John John 15 0 comments Add comment

The "I AM" message series concludes next Sunday with Pastor Jeff Walser teaching on Jesus' words in John 15:5, "I am the Vine."

As we prepare our hearts for that message, this week in our devotionals we will be reading and reflecting on John chapter 15. We thank Jeff, WBC's Executive Discipleship Pastor, for also preparing this week's devotional thoughts.

Today we are reading John 15:1-17. The text below is taken from the New International Version, but feel free to read from the translation of your choice.

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last -- and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17This is my command: Love each other.

So far this week, we've talked about: 1) Jesus' call for us to bear fruit, 2) the need to abide in Him through trusting and obeying His commands, and 3) the fact that God does prune our lives through testing and trials in order that we bear more fruit.

As we look again at John 15:1-17, we can begin to get an idea of the specific type of fruit Jesus is talking about. In verses 9-10 and again in verses 12-13, we see the extended fruit of radical and selfless love in the lives of believers who are abiding in Christ. In verse 11, we see the fruit of joy, a courageous and hopeful satisfaction in the person of Jesus and in the expectation that He will be faithful to us, both now and in eternity.

There's another passage I'd like us to consider in this context as well: Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Here we see love and joy as the first and second fruit of a life of abiding in Christ and powered by the Holy Spirit. In total, all of the characteristics of the Spirit-led life found here in Galatians provide a portrait of the character of Jesus and the life He intends for us as we abide in Him.

All of us come to Jesus with our own weaknesses, hurts and struggles, imperfections, and sinful patterns of selfishness and pride. And it can be discouraging that as we attempt to follow Jesus and live out our faith, we sometimes struggle with some of the same issues and patterns we brought into the spiritual life. Nevertheless, John 15 and Galatians 5 both offer great hope that as we abide more and more in Christ, these spiritual fruits -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control -- will grow in us more and more.

As we abide in Jesus, with His Spirit within us, His life and His character will progressively replace ours and we will bring glory to Him in our lives!

Dear Father,

I continue to struggle, but I know You are able to do great things and produce fruit in my life. Give me the confidence in You to know that You are working and pruning and growing Jesus in me day-by-day, as I abide in Him.

Amen

TueTuesdayAugAugust9th2011 Tuesday, August 9

Posted Tuesday, August 09 2011 @ 5 AM byJeff Walser Tagged Devotions I AM I AM the Vine Jeff Walser John John 15 0 comments Add comment

The "I AM" message series concludes next Sunday with Pastor Jeff Walser teaching on Jesus' words in John 15:5, "I am the Vine."

As we prepare our hearts for that message, this week in our devotionals we will be reading and reflecting on John chapter 15. We thank Jeff, WBC's Executive Discipleship Pastor, for also preparing this week's devotional thoughts.

This week we are reading from John 15, focusing today on verses 1-10. As He often did, we find Jesus here again using a very commonplace aspect of life in the ancient world to offer insight into deep spiritual realities. While this passage is not really a parable in the same sense we find in the other Gospels, it does offer an extended metaphor that flows from the world of agriculture and specifically to techniques of viticulture (the science or practice of growing grapevines).

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.

The Old Testament writers frequently used the vine to describe Israel. Throughout the history of the Jewish nation, there was a failure to produce fruit. Here now, Jesus describes Himself -- as the "True" Vine -- in contrast to the inconsistent and wandering nation of Israel. He has and will, He says, continue to produce fruit as God intended.

He also mentions God the Father as the Vinedresser -- as One intentionally caring for and working with the vine in order that fruit might be produced.

Lastly, He identifies His followers as branches that are called to bear choice fruit. He tells us that this fruit is a direct result of the degree to which His followers "abide in Him." In other words, we be fruitful to the same the degree that we cultivate intimacy with Him and are developing a relationship with Him in day-by-day obedience to His Word (verse 10).

As followers of Christ, we should expect to produce spiritual fruit -- to see the life of Jesus lived out in our lives -- as we commit our time, energy, and resources to grow in our trust and obedience to Him.

When we read this passage, we have the responsibility to ask ourselves some honest questions: Do I see this spiritual fruit in my life? If so, I can humbly thank God for His work in my life and I can be reminded that it is His work in me that brings fruit, not me trying really hard to be fruitful. On the other hand, if I am not seeing this fruit, these verses tell me that it is not a matter of trying more; it's a matter of abiding more.

Today, as we consider this passage, we need to honestly look at our lives and consider: Am I organizing my time and my energy in a way that allows me to daily spend time with the Word, and time in prayer and reflection? If not, we can pray for God's strength and the resolve to abide more.

Dear Father,

I know You have destined me to faithfulness. Help me to trust You with my schedule and with my priorities. Give me Your wisdom, strength and courage to abide more, so that You might produce more of the fruit that lasts in my life.

Amen

MonMondayAugAugust8th2011 Monday, August 8

Posted Monday, August 08 2011 @ 5 AM byJeff Walser Tagged Devotions I AM I AM the Vine Jeff Walser John John 15 0 comments Add comment

The "I AM" message series concludes next Sunday with Pastor Jeff Walser teaching on Jesus' words in John 15:5, "I am the Vine."

As we prepare our hearts for that message, this week in our devotionals we will be reading and reflecting on John chapter 15. We thank Jeff, WBC's Executive Discipleship Pastor, for also preparing this week's devotional thoughts.

Today we are reading John 15, verses 1-17. The text below is taken from the New International Version, but feel free to read from the Bible translation of your choice.

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last -- and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17This is my command: Love each other.

This passage of scripture is found right in the middle of Jesus' last words to His closest followers. It is known as the Upper Room discourse. These last several minutes together with these beloved followers are precious to Jesus, as He seeks to encourage, inspire, and offer instructions to His disciples about future events and His will for their lives.

If you were to read on for three chapters to John 18, you would be thrust into the middle of Jesus' passion narrative and all of the events that led to His trial, torture, death, burial, and resurrection. This is the absolute center of all human history. Therefore, these last few minutes with His disciples were all the more precious, and Jesus used them to say some very important things to them -- and to us.

Imagine for a minute that you are spending what you know to be the last several minutes with a trusted teacher and friend. As he speaks candidly with you, how closely are you listening to the words? In the future, how seriously will you consider these final observations, the guidance, and the counsel? How well will you remember the penetrating words from this last conversation?

Take a few minutes and -- with the perspective that these are "final words" being spoken to us by the Son of God, the Savior of the World -- reread John 15:1-17.

Which phrases and instructions strike home the most to you? What aspects of your life need to be brought into the light of Jesus' so-carefully chosen words?

Father,

Help me to truly hear Your comforting, encouraging, and yet radical, words today. Help me to allow them to penetrate deep into my soul that I might live and love through You and for You.

Amen