A Daily Devotion for Thursday, October 8
John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He 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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain 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.
“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. If 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. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.“
This is a very familiar passage. Today as I read and think about what Jesus is telling me, I am moved to deepen my relationship with Jesus. I remember at a small group gathering years ago, someone brought up their “personal relationship with Jesus.” I said, “I don’t really feel like I have a personal relationship with Jesus.” It wasn’t about not believing, or about doubting Jesus in any way. It was more the close, personal friendship I felt I was lacking. Over the years I have thought about this a lot, and since our work in Transformers, I have felt my relationship with Jesus grow. I still need to pay attention to this relationship, in some ways like an earthly one, but there is a comfort and a peace that comes from knowing this friendship will never end.
Holy Lord, I am so thankful for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. May I live out my years in the confidence of His love and guidance. “What a friend we have in Jesus!” Amen
Becky
John 15:1-8.
For many of us these verses are very familiar. If you are a gardener, you understand that pruning away dead stems and shortening good ones will encourage new and stronger growth. We need to do the same things in our lives. To grow more as a disciple, we must spend more time with his words and with others on the same path. The many Bible groups I have been part of over the years have all been good opportunities for me to strengthen my relationship with Jesus. Our Transformers group is one of the best. It encourages so much from us—reading the word, research and writing, and best of all due to Zoom is the sharing …