Tag Archive for John 15:5

God Loves to Grow Things

2019-09-13 Devotional with Hymn, Magnificent God No comments

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit.” (John 15:5, NASB)

The truth is all around you:
God loves to grow things.
When you look at your own life, with your
faults,
struggles, and
blind spots,
remember:
God loves to grow things.

When you look at other people,
with all their insensitivities and annoying qualities,
remember:
God loves to grow things.

Think of people as growing things.
You’re seeing them in only one moment of their development.
God, the patient gardener, is working
carefully and joyfully,
moment by moment,
year by year.
He is tenderly nurturing them from
a tiny seed to
beautiful fullness in Him.

Try not to step on His flowers.
If a holy and all-knowing God can love them just as they are,
can’t we?

All our relationships are to be shaped by
the love of the Father – His love
for them, for us,
for all of us.
He loves “them” as much as “us”.
In every relationship,
only His unselfish love is worthy of Him.

Hymn: Live and Love and Grow in Christ
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Come to the Source

2017-01-16 Devotional with Hymn No comments

“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.” (John 15:5, NIV) 

The demands of love can seem overwhelming and beyond our ability.

But when God calls us to love, He is not pushing us into the impossible. He is calling us to himself. He is urging us to look away from ourselves and our own needs and resources, and to look to Him.

The more we look to our Father, the more we trust Him and love Him. As we trust Him, we are free to be generous with others. As we love Him, we grow to love those He loves.

Is loving difficult? Spend more time with your loving Father. As you live in His presence, you’ll become more and more like Him.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Hungry for God
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Only in You

2016-10-11 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Not that we are adequate in ourselves…but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate (2 Corinthians 3:5-6, NASB)

Lord, as I face the work You have called me to do,
help me to live by this truth hour by hour.

I have no competence of my own.
Without you,
I am blind.
I am inconsistent.
I lack wisdom.

You said,
“I am the vine, you are the branches;
he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NASB).

All my competence is in You.
I turn to You.
I depend on You, and
I trust You now.

Lord,
in You and You alone
I am adequate for this task.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Fruitful in You
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Only by the Lord

2015-08-23 Creative Process, Devotional with Hymn, Prayer No comments

“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.” (John 15:5, NIV)

My fruitfulness flows from the presence of Christ within me. I am completely dependent on His working in and through me.

That’s why my devotional life is so critical – not just in those special private times but also as I look to Him throughout the day. Such prayer keeps me in touch with Him and open to His influence. Without it, I tend to sink into preoccupation with myself and lesser concerns.

Writing teaches me this dependence more than anything else ever has. Every morning when I get up and begin, I have to face my own inability and release the work to Him: “Lord, this time is Yours. I can only work as You enable me. I look to You now and will just follow as You lead.”

This is especially necessary when the task gets difficult. When I get stuck at a spot, my first instinct is to press harder. I want to get past the frustration and finish the job. But I’m learning I have to stop and pray: “Lord, I did not choose this task, nor can I make it happen. It is Yours. I am simply available to You.”

I have to open myself to Him and wait, letting Him work in His way and time. And He does – beautifully, bringing me solutions and directions I never could have found on my own.

Frequently the wait is relatively short. Something unexplainable just happens when I release the task to Him. He works so naturally and perfectly.

Yet sometimes the wait is longer. I’m forced to live with unfinished business, and I can become anxious and discouraged. During such times, I repeatedly go to Him, intent on talking about the doing. But He wants to talk about us. He reminds me to look at Him, enjoy Him, and be at peace in Him. He invites me to just rest in His doing.

“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.” (John 15:5, NIV)

Remain in him by praying to Him throughout the day. It will help keep your heart set on Him. And you will know that He, himself, is life’s sweetest gift and the source of all your fruitfulness.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: As I Pray
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Enjoying Christ

2015-04-19 Devotional with Hymn No comments

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.
(John 15:5, NIV)

My ministry. My “mission.” I get so focused on my work that it becomes my preoccupation and my goal in life.

But Lord, You kindly check me at this point. Do I really want to do anything more than to live in fellowship with You, to be conscious of Your presence? No, Lord, I don’t. I want nothing more than You.

All my fruitfulness is in You. I don’t need to get caught up in achievements or milestones. I can relax from the pressure to succeed. Moment by moment all the wisdom, all the working is Yours, my Lord.

I want to simply enjoy You and my journey with You, remaining open to Your leadership. Thank You, Lord!  Thank You for Your personal love to me.

Jesus, You love me. How else could I respond but to love You every moment?

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Fruitful in You
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