Welcome to the PoG Blog! Let's pray!

Lord, I come to you now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your life and Your love and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day.  I give You my life today, the good and the not so good, I surrender myself and my agenda to You Jesus and I ask You to restore me in You and renew me in You today!  Amen

The text for today is from John 15!

John 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² 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. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ 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.

⁵ “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. ⁶ 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. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

 

On Sunday we talked about the fruit of the Spirit-led life.  In this passage we see Jesus using the same metaphor of fruit.  I can just see Jesus walking through a garden with His disciples, seeing a grapevine and building this incredible teaching out of a simple nature metaphor.

We are the branches in the picture.  Notice our job!  We are to "remain in Jesus" like a branch remains in the vine.  The fruit is not our job - it is the result.  The key is remaining in Jesus!  Everything flows from there!  It may sound simple and to some degree it is - "remain in Jesus"!  It is a big job in many ways.  There are so many things and people and situations that cry out with a loud voice "remain in me", "no, remain in me", "no, over here remain in me"!

What are those voices in your life?

I think in my life - worry, anxiety, mind-numbing entertainment, a morning news program, maybe even a book, fear of failure, negative thinking ... ... ... all kinds of things can cry out to me, "remain in me!"

So today I get to hear Jesus say (above all the other voices), "REMAIN IN ME!!!"

The prayer at the top of the page is a helpful tool for me to "remain in Jesus"!  I try to pray it often and slow!

 

Enjoy!

delton

How does this amazing passage grab you today?