I am the Vine, You are the Branches

John 15:1-2—“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.”

As Christians, we are charged to abide in Christ like the branches of a vine and bear fruit for Him.  Through this metaphor, Jesus is trying to tell us that we cannot live without abiding in Him just like a branch cannot survive once it has been cut off from the vine.  He is also telling us that unfruitful Christians will weaken His Kingdom just like unfruitful branches weaken the vine and other branches.  Dead and unfruitful branches must be removed from a vine to protect the vine and the other branches.  Branches of a vine also need direction and pruning as they grow—left untouched, the branches of a vine will grow unruly and tangle up like a big clump.  With a gardener’s wise touch, however, the branches can be pruned and trained to grow in the right direction.  Through this metaphor, Jesus specifically refers to a fruit-bearing vine, not just a flowering vine.  He has called us to a purpose, not just to be a pretty ornament for His Kingdom.  Christians bear their fruit through the lives they lead-their temperament, attitude, and love for others.  A Christian’s fruit should honor God by doing good, knowing and sharing His Word, and following Jesus’ command to love one another.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, consider the type of branch you want to be.  Compare that to the type of branch you are.  Are they the same thing?  Do you bear fruit for the Lord—are you in a period of pruning and shaping—are you at risk of being removed entirely?  Praise God for reserving a place for you as a branch on His Vine.  Pray that He would tend to you so that your fruit will multiply and your branch will grow as He has designed.  Renew your commitment to abide in Him and His Word so that every moment of your life honors Him.

Teach Me, Lead Me

Psalm 25:4-5—Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.

When we study the Bible, we read about how God has spoken out loud to people.  This day and age, though, it seems easy to question whether God still does speak out loud.  Just yesterday someone was asking how to understand the difference between God’s voice and our own internal voice.  I do think that God still does speak out loud, and when He does, it is with a voice that is unmistakably, undeniably, the voice of God.  But that is not the only way He speaks, and for someone who is not used to listening for God, it can seem overwhelming to figure out when God is the One really doing the speaking.  This passage gives us two concrete ways we can prepare our souls to hear God.  The first involves learning God’s ways and allowing Him to teach us His paths.  When we study the Bible, pray, and meditate, we are learning God’s ways.  God reveals Himself through His Word, so the more we study it, pray it, and meditate on it, the more we will understand Him.  When we understand His Word, we can better understand and discern His voice speaking to us through His Word.  The second involves us following God as the leader of our lives.  God has promised to provide for each of us, and if we start paying attention to what is happening in our lives, we begin to see God’s path and His Will laid out for us.  When we are paying attention, we can hear God speak to us through our circumstances and even through others in our lives.

Today as you pray and meditate, thank God for the gift of His Word and His perfect plan for your life.  Pray for a spirit willing to hear His Voice both through His Word and through the circumstances of your life.  Seek Him with all your Heart.

3 Tools for Finding Joy in Adversity

James 1:2-4—My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

The command in this Scripture is entirely at odds with our natural human response during difficult times of adversity.  I don’t know anyone who shouts for joy when something goes wrong.  Who is happy when navigating the political climate at work?  Who rejoices during an argument with a family member?  Who is thrilled about financial difficulties?  The truth is, though, that God uses times of adversity to grow our spirits and prepare us to receive richer blessings in this life and the one after.  Even so, to get to a place of true joy in the midst of adversity takes effort and complete reliance on the Holy Spirit.  Let me offer you three tools for following His command to consider your adversity nothing but joy.  1. Acknowledge to yourself that whatever difficulty you are dealing with in your life is too big for you to handle alone; 2. Say it out loud to God that you cannot handle the adversity alone and that you need His intervention to guide you through it; 3. Be honest with God about your pain, your confusion, even your anger—God can take it, and He wants to take all our burdens from us.  Avoid getting so wrapped up in your own emotions that you can’t see the potential for growth and spiritual renewal, and don’t judge yourself for feeling these natural human emotions.  Christians are still human, after all—the difference is that we have a Savior who can really comfort us during times of pain and adversity.  By being honest with God about how we are feeling, He can help us work through any difficulty with a spirit of joy that passes all understanding.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, consider those areas where you are experiencing adversity in your life.  Pray to God and acknowledge your human weaknesses in resolving these problems. Ask for His intervention, guidance, and peace in these areas.  Speak with Him honestly about your emotions and trust that He is listening.  Thank Him for the opportunity to grow in your faith, and pray that He would bless you with a joyful spirit as the adversity evolves and resolves.

Extraordinarily Gifted, Say What?

Romans 12:4-8—For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

It fills me with wonder and awe when I think of how God, the Maker of the universe, uniquely and specially created me.  Not only did He craft me to for my own life, but He has packaged me together with particular gifts and personality traits so that I can accomplish a distinct purpose—and no one else in the whole world is particularly equipped exactly the way that I am. Anyone who is in Christ shares in God’s grace and blessing of spiritual gifts, but he has apportioned those gifts differently in each person so that we are all fulfilling essential roles. Sometimes, it’s hard to see within ourselves all the gifts God has given.  Other times, it is hard to recognize in others the spiritual gifts God has given to them.  Sometimes, we crave more prominent, or showy, gifts so we can stand out.  Other times, we wish our gifts wouldn’t shine so brightly because we need some time out of the limelight. Through the blessing of gifts, God empowers us to do the work of His Kingdom.  We are called to grow in our spiritual gifts to bring honor and glory to His Name.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise Him for the spiritual gifts He has given you.  Pray that He would see fit to reveal to you your unique blend of spiritual gifts and the role you are to play in His Kingdom.  Thank Him for creating His perfect plan and giving you a specific place in that plan. 

God First

Colossians 3:12-17—As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Sometimes it is hard to remember to do everything in the name of the Lord.  After all, most of us have secular jobs where we spend most of our days doing and talking about things that seemingly have nothing to do with God.  Imagine, though, how amazing our lives could be if we put God first in all areas of our lives.  Think about the peace you could have at work and the relationships you could build with your colleagues.  This Scripture gives specific instructions for how to put God first in all areas of our lives.  So, when we forgive our boss for being short with us, when we show kindness to our assistant, or when we show humility amongst our colleagues, we put Christ first.  We are called to forgive others, even if every earthly part of our being screams at us to hold on to the grudge.  Christ fills us with His love and we ought to be vessels spilling that love onto everyone around us.  Our human nature is weak, though, and we cannot fulfill these instructions without leaning on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength.  That is why Bible study and prayer are essential—they connect us to God so tightly that He remains at the forefront of our minds, and kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and love become more natural in our daily lives.

Today as you pray and meditate on this Scripture, cry out joyfully to the Lord and thank Him for all He has done.  Confess to Him those times and situations where your human nature has taken over and pushed Him out of first place in your life.  Consider any anger, resentment, and judgments you are holding on to.  Offer those up to God—ask Him to take those away and fill you with the spirit of forgiveness toward those people in your life.  Ask Him to forgive you for your shortcomings in putting Him first in your life.  Rededicate yourself to Him, and pray that He would fill you with the Holy Spirit that you might show compassion, kindness, and love toward others. 

Where Is Your Treasure?

Matthew 6:19-21—“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

While we are alive on Earth, God has promised to provide for our needs.  We are commanded to be good stewards of those provisions, which means we shouldn’t waste what God gives to us.  He expects us to take care of what we have, spend money wisely, and use our blessings to help further His kingdom.  Part of being a good steward of resources is saving for the future, both our own and our future generations.  But we also must be mindful of becoming too obsessed with Earthly possessions.  Being a good steward does not mean that we treasure what we have over our relationship with God.  Especially in Western cultures, it is easy to get caught up in what we have, what we want, and what we wish you could have.  When we are so consumed with acquiring more wealth, our heart is tethered to Earth, not God.  The key to intimacy with God is finding a place of gratitude and contentment for what He has provided while at the same time releasing our desire for more.

Today as you pray and meditate on this Scripture, examine your heart.  Be honest with yourself about where your treasure is—do you acknowledge God’s hand in all the blessings in your life? Do you show your gratitude by returning to Him a portion of what He gives to you?  Would you be willing to walk away from what you have if He called you to do it?  Offer praise and shouts of joy to God for his generosity toward you.  Pray that you would be a good steward of His treasures, never allowing Earthly treasures to interfere with your relationship with Him.

The 3 Messages Embedded in Our Offerings

Mark 12:41-44—And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

The widow in this passage demonstrates her wholehearted devotion to God by offering Him all she has.  What must have gone through this widow’s mind as she prepared to give this offering?  Was she wondering how she would eat without any money to purchase food?  Was she worried that she would have no way to provide for herself because she was giving all her money back to God?  Was she nervous that others would ridicule her small offering?  Based on Jesus’ reaction, it doesn’t seem like she was thinking any of those things.  If she had any worries about how to survive, they were wiped away by trusting that God always provides.  Additionally, because her gift was about honoring God, not pleasing others, she likely didn’t care what others thought of it.  When we give tithes and offerings to God, we say at least three things: (1) Thank you, God, for providing for me; (2) I know that nothing I have comes from my own hand—it all comes from you, God; and (3) It is a privilege and honor to return a portion of those blessings you have given me.  Our offering is something personal between us and God—it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, and we certainly shouldn’t give large offerings just for show.  When we give, we should do it to honor God because we trust Him to provide and we want to thank Him for all He has done.

Today as you pray and meditate on this passage, consider the blessings in your life.  Give praise to God and thank Him for providing for your needs. Prayerfully consider your offering practices and ask God to take any fears, worries, and anxieties away.  Open your Heart to His calling and pray for a cheerful giving spirit.