Friday, January 19, 2024
Jesus used many metaphors to describe his relationship with the Father and his followers. In John 15, he uses the image of a fruitful vine. He describes himself as a vine and his followers as fruit. The Father is the gardener who intentionally prunes the branches to yield the optimal harvest.
As he proceeds in this metaphor, we see how this applies to our lives as followers of Christ. If a gardener cuts a branch off the vine, it dies and bears no fruit. However, as the gardener selects certain parts of the branch to prune, it bears good fruit and grows stronger.
Pruning is a good thing, but a lopped-off branch is dead. This is how we should view our relationship with Christ. We must remain connected to Christ if we are to grow. We may experience painful pruning, but as we stay attached to the vine, we will grow and bear much fruit.
John 15:9-11
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
Spiritual disciplines help us remain connected to Christ. Prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting, scripture memorization, and corporate worship are powerful tools to help us grow in our relationship with Christ and bear spiritual fruit. These disciplines will not save you nor earn you God’s favor, but they’ll help you experience Christ in powerful ways. They help us experience the joy Jesus promises his followers.
Your love for Christ will grow as you spend time reading the Bible, praying, and meditating on his Word. You will experience him in new ways. Your heart will be convicted of ways where you need to repent and change, and your desire to please him will increase. In short, you will find yourself looking more like Jesus.
Life with Jesus is not always easy, but we are not living for this life alone. We have the promise of a life with our Savior for eternity, enjoying him forever.
Questions:
How often are you engaging in spiritual disciplines? Do you have regularly designated time to engage with Christ in a meaningful way?
Next Steps:
If you do not have a designated time to read the Bible and pray, regularly set aside 15 minutes a day. I recommend starting with one of the gospels. Check out the Gospel of Luke or John reading plan that CedarCreek offers.
21 Days of Prayer: Day 12—Fearlessness
Today’s Prayer Focus: To Love Fearlessly (1 John 4:18-19)
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for being a God of perfect love. Thank you for loving me first—before I accepted your salvation, before I even knew you, while I was still living in sin. Teach me to love as you love, without fear or condemnation. Help me to offer grace to those around me, just as you first offered grace to me, Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
2 Peter 1:3
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
This post was written by Julie Mabus, a regular contributor of the Living it Out.