Our ability to trust God is based on how well we know Him. Do you have a friend that you completely trust? Some of us are blessed with such a person in our life. Others not. That trust is based on knowledge of their character. You trust them because you know them, right? It is the same with God. We can only trust Him if we know Him. Our level of trust is based on how much we know Him….
Jesus goes on in John 15 verse 7 to tell us what a privilege we have when we pray if we do abide in Him. We will be able to ask what we will and The Father will do it for us. Could that explain why many prayers aren’t answered? We are not abiding (keeping His commandments) in Him. In verse 10 He goes on to explain “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as…
Bearing fruit pt.4 A warning This topic of abiding in Christ has its example in the life of Jesus. John 15:10 Jesus says, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”KJV And He warns us in verse 6 what will happen if we don’t abide (keep His commandments) in the vine. We will be cast off. Into the burn pile. Discarded. That doesn’t sound…
Bearing Fruit – pt. 3 How? Jesus tells us in John 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” NKJV Abiding in Christ is simply going about our normal everyday lives aware of His presence and living to please Him. In verse 9-10 Jesus encourages His disciples to abide in His love. “If you keep my commandments, you…
Let’s go to the beginning John 15. John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” So we see right away as branches we get all our sustenance from Jesus the vine. All our nourishment from Him. All our abilities come from His life in us. Now we move on to verse 2. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may…
This is part one of a four part series this week. Short, quick thoughts each day on bearing fruit. John 15:8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. NKJV Did you know you have a calling from God? It is very simple, and yet impossible in our natural abilities. Contrary to what some Bible teachers and writers would tell you that God wants to fulfill your dreams, bless your plans…
This past Monday God gave me a special gift. It didn’t seem like it at first. It seemed like a big inconvenience. We lost power at about 6pm. Our supper meal, sweet potato and black bean chili, was staying warm in the crockpot and the cornbread had just finished baking. So all was good in that respect. There was no storm. No freezing rain coating the power lines. No strong winds to take down trees that would break power lines….
John 11:42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me. John 14:20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. O Lord, help me to understand what it means to be one with You which You spoke about in John chapters 14 and 15. How being one with…
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. NKJV Do you have difficulty making time for devotions? Has it become a religious duty that you should do? Do you know He wants you to come and share with Him? It isn’t just a time of dutifully reading a little and saying your prayers. Oh no. It can be so much more. He wants it to be so much…
“The difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge is that the heart can actually experience God, the presence of God, while the head cannot.” A.W. Tozer, Delighting in God p. 102 (kindle book). We can know a lot about the Bible and God but still not know God. Spending time in His presence gives God time to speak to our heart. Reading and meditating on His word, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate it to us will tune our hearts…