Jesus is the Vine

 

Steve Thomason

 

                                                                “I am the vine, you are the

                                                branches. He who abides in Me, and I in

                                                him, bears much fruit; for without Me

                                                you can do nothing. If anyone does not

                                                abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch

                                                and is withered; and they gather them                      

and throw them into the fire and they

                                                are burned. John 15: 5-6 (NKJV)

               

                               

Jesus continues his comparison by stating that He is the vine and those who follow Him are the branches. That is a potent statement for the disciples to hear. He continues by saying something that must have shaken them to their cores. Simply stated, he tells them they can do nothing to save someone or to minister to their broken spirits unless He is present and working in the circumstance. We must remember this when we present the Gospel to those around us.

 

Per the scripture, those who do not abide in Christ and chose to continue going their own way are punished for their disobedience.

 

Without Jesus’ guidance in our lives, we cannot become the persons He has planned for us to be.  We must learn to remain in Him, no matter what we face in our earthly life.

 

A couple at our church went through a very difficult time. They both lost their jobs; then, they lost their house. The husband decided that they would stay with God and see how He would work things out for them. The church helped them by referring people to them if the people had odd jobs that needed to be done. They found a place to live. He found a new job within walking distance from their new home.  He shared this story when he was asked to speak on Laity Sunday one year.

Joyful, Patient, Faithful

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Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 (NIV)

  

                Be joyful-

             Joyful means what it says-full of joy. Some would say that to be joyful means just that and nothing more. When we believe in Christ, we invite Him into our hearts, we give Him all our grievances and our sadness.

            In hope-

             In the New Testament, hope means the expectation of good. Presently, the world needs to have hope to survive the Coronavirus pandemic. Our hope is in Christ. He will guide us through this time of restrictions.

            patient-

            Patience is a gift of the Holy Spirit, the Old Testament uses the phrase, long-suffering to describe it. I love that meaning. Waiting is part of patience.

            in affliction-

            We will have difficulties come to us as we walk this earth. No one is immune from them. Jesus told His disciples,” In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:22)

            faithful-

            The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) When we have hope we have to also have confidence. We must rely on God to get us through those tough times that we all will face at some time in our lives.

           

            in prayer-

            Prayer is the way we converse with God. Through this avenue, we thank Him for what He has done for us. We tell Him we love Him. We bring our requests and our intercessions for others before Him.

Added Thought:

As I searched for a graphic to put here. the thought came to me that the qualities mentioned in this verse are all listed in the Fruit of the Spirit  that Paul writes of to the Galatians.

Devotion to Good Works

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Devotion:

                The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

Titus 3:8, 14 (ESV)

These are instructions from Paul to Titus, Paul’s ‘son in the faith.’ Paul tells Titus how to guide people to build a strong church in Jesus Christ.

Paul speaks to us in today’s world as well. We who believe in Christ are to dedicate ourselves to do good works in our churches and in the world. We are to respond to the needs we see around us in helpful ways. Not to be stagnant but to produce good fruit for Christ.

We do this by putting feet to our prayers. Getting out and seeing where the need is greatest and working to fill that need.

A woman I an acquainted with got her picture in the newspaper because she went to a local Christian Center and served meals.

Another woman, a friend, also go written up by the newspaper for her efforts in assisting those families whose homes were lost due to a fire. She recently finished work on an associate degree.

One of the men at our church is a firefighter. One winter morning he and his crew received a call to extinguish a home fire that took the lives of two small children. He and a few others created Fire Rescue Houses for victims who went through losing their homes because of fire.

A faith-based organization that I worked in assisted children who had a parent who was incarcerated. The woman who founded that organization is an active member of our church.

God has a purpose for each of our lives. It may be working in our churches or working in our communities. It may be working with children or with senior citizens. We need to pray and ask Him to direct our lives in ways that please Him.

Has God ever led you to work for Him in your community or in your church? Did He equip you for that task beforehand or as you worked in that ministry?

Listening to God

http://katy-katyrose.blogspot.com/2013/11/listening-to-god.html

This is another reposted entry with some additional thoughts. Also for possible use as I expand my writing ministry to include speaking. 

He who has an ear, let him listen. Revelation 2:6, 11 (ESV)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches Revelation 2:17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22 (ESV)

Do you remember your parents saying, “You are not listening?” I do. It was when I was in trouble and they were trying to talk to me about my misbehaving. Did you ever have to say that to your children? I probably did, also.

I have noticed that in our world today, we have certain people who seem to think they have a say-so in what we believe in our lives. I have felt they were not listening to wise counsel from God. In the Old Testament, we read of many kings “doing what was right in their own eyes.”

One evening, I read God’s letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor. I also read scriptures that address an issue that faces us. The next morning, my devotional reading for Sunday school was on the word “Listen.” The scripture the author used was Revelation 3:6, He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches, I got excited. I re-read the letters to the churches.

    

We studied Pauses for Pentecost written by Trevor Hudson One point Mr. Hudson, makes is that listening and obedience always go together. My take on this whole exercise is that we have to listen to the LORD and do as He directs us. For me, I need to apply this to my dealings with those around me and with my family as well as those to whom I try to assist in their walk with Jesus.

We also have words from James telling us to: Let everyone be quick to listen and slow to speak.

James 1:9 (NRSV)      

The Apostle James gives us wise advice. We need to learn to listen to those in our lives who have greater knowledge about certain issues with which we deal in life.

As a young adult, I heard the adage, “God gave us two ears and one mouth. We are to use them accordingly.” When I felt God had led to make the decision that I needed to learn to be a good listener, I realized I had to truly listen and not talk as much.

I learned these lessons when I applied this scripture to my life as I held a sensitive position in our former church. I became privy to a lot of personal issues different people had in their lives. All I could do was listen and pray for them and the needs they had.

Today, I sometimes hear stories that I believe, due to their sensitive nature, should not be shared. I have to listen but I also know that I should not talk about these circumstances. However, I sometimes fail in this area of listening and have to tell God I am sorry for my behavior.

I have read where our prayer time should be a conversation between us and the LORD. In our daily conversations, we talk and we listen. When we spend time with Him, shouldn’t we listen to what God wants us to hear?

Make Every Effort

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“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;

 and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control;

and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness.”

2 Peter 2:5(NIV)

               Our faith consists more than belief. The demons believed in the existence of Jesus. (See James 2:19) We are to live out what we believe. Because we know in our hearts that Jesus died for our sins, we attempt to live our lives without sinning. We study God’s words and apply the messages to our hearts.

               When we take God’s message into our hearts and minds, we learn to maintain balance with what he expects from us. We also learn to continue our advancement on the path chosen for us no matter the stresses we encounter. As we walk with God, we become more like Him.

               As me mature in Christ, we see these qualities come to life in others and ourselves. We learn to stand firm for our beliefs. We know that Jesus died for our sins. We keep plodding along, when the way seems rough. And we reflect God.

Bearing Fruit

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“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit  

showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

John 15:8 (NIV)

Jesus speaks here of our bearing fruit. He tells us that it is for God’s glory. Let’s think about those two statements.

We tell others more than we realize when they meet us. They notice our behavior and our attitude as we interact with them. They watch as we go through trials, noting how we respond.

I once heard of some sisters acting out at their father’s calling hours. Their aunt, who told me the story, was embarrassed by the display. Looking back, I can not put into words what was described to me.

I have a friend who took a spinster lady from our then church into our home when she needed a place to stay due to her health. The older woman went to the hospital, had surgery and did not do well after that. My friend maintained contact with the lady’s out of town family, as well as the woman’s lawyer. Not one time did I hear any complaining word from my friend.

My friend displayed Jesus to the house guest, to her out of town family, to the lady's attorney, and to the people of the church.  I learned a lot from my friend about showing God’s love to others.

Back in the early 1970’s, I read something by E. Stanley Jones that has stayed with me ever since. He told of a Christian’s witness being apparent to others. He said that doctors and morticians can tell if those they work with are Christians. He further said that they base their decision on how accepting the people receive harsh news-the knowledge of a terminal illness, theirs or a loved one’s,-or the loss of a loved one.

Does My Light Shine? RJD # 17

            I often wonder if my actions and my habits allow others to see God, to seek the Lord, and to worship Him. If someone were to ask me, I’d have to say that I fall short in this. The following lists my thoughts on how a Christian should conduct himself or herself. I DO want my light to reflect Him.

4/24/2010

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise you Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

           *God wants us to be transparent. He desires us to model His attributes in our daily lives.

            *When we encounter another person who is experiencing difficulties, our Father expects us to treat that individual as He would- with patience, kindness, and agape love but without judgment.

            *In business, we are to think of the other party in the arrangement. Partnerships have been dissolved over prideful thoughts and actions.

            *In personal relationships, we need to remember to honor confidences and respect boundaries. We should learn to not entertain thoughts or listen to stories that could cause potential hurt to a friend.

            *We should refrain from stating our opinion when it can cause another to fall.

            At times, I find myself falling short of these guidelines. I’m like the Apostle Paul. I am not able to do what I want but do what I don’t want. In reality, I believe all believers struggle with this issue of living out their beliefs all the time.

“Let your light shine.”

Linking to :beneaththesurface-dawn.

Evidence Of The Holy Spirit



A kind, strong, helping hand

 “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to the spirit.

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound,

but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:6, 8 (NIV)



Just as we don’t see the actual wind but the effects of it, we don’t see the Holy Spirit. We experience His working.

We notice a person’s peaceful demeanor when we are around them. They share in another’s joy. We see their loving concern when they inquire about someone’s need or that person’s health.

They wait patiently for answers to prayer and outcomes in their lives and in the lives of others.

The person who possesses the Holy Spirit displays gentleness and is faithful to his or her word. He or she always uses kind words when speaking of others.When that person is dealing with difficult issues in his or her life, he or she has their emotions under control.

All these qualities we see in others’ life are only present because of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. When someone possesses these qualities, they don’t have to say they are a Christian. Their attitude and conduct speaks for them.



Dear God:

Thank You for placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Thank You for letting Him change us into who You want us to be. Please guide us as we walk the Christian path that we may do all things to please You. In the name of Christ, we pray. AMEN

Humble, Gentle, Patient



Fruit of the Spirit

 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,

bearing with one another in love.”

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)


We can’t turn on and off humility and gentleness as we do a water spigot. We shouldn’t choose to be humble one day and haughty the next.

Gentleness should be worn every day. Once we ask Jesus into our hearts, we belong to God at all times. We are to model Him before those in our lives.

When we feel ourselves getting worked up over an issue, we have to ask ourselves if God would be angry over the situation. If He would, then we should carefully conduct ourselves according to His instruction and guidance.

When we exercise patience, we tell those around us that we still love them-in spite of the circumstances.

I, for one, need to work on this in one area of my life.

Our Fruit

Read Matthew 3:110



“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8



John the Baptist preaches to the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He calls them ‘a brood of vipers’, a very critical phrase. The Pharisees stayed away from those who non-Jewish. The Sadducees only believed in the first five books of God’s Word. These two groups were always at odds with each other. But they both opposed Jesus.

Earlier in this passage, John tells his hearers to “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.” To repent means to change behavior.

We know neither group followed John’s direction. The two groups interfered with Jesus’ ministry at every turn.

How does John’s message apply to us in the 21st Century? When we come to Christ, we are all eager to do what God tells us. A little while later, things get hard and we begin to let our old selves take over. We get confused in what we are to do. Basically we take our eyes off Jesus and believe we can live our lives the way we want.

But we can’t. When we ask Jesus to live in our hearts, we turn over control of our lives to Him. We have to do this every day. God wants us to ask each day what it is He has for us to do and how He wants us to act.

Our actions, as well as our reactions, are supposed to honor Christ. We can no longer let things slide by, we have to align our behavior, as well as our hearts, with what would honor Him