Live in Jesus

Image from agnusday.org

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. (John 15:1-8)

Good day dear Friend!  May this find you and me ready for today and all that the week may hold for us!  May the words of our Lord grant us more strength, power, and peace to live out our faith.

This passage is about connectedness.  It's about being connected to Jesus and how necessary that is.  As I was reflecting on this passage, I thought about times I have been at a grocery store or somewhere in public and I see a church member; there's that moment of "I know you!," a smile (usually) and a word or two of greeting.  My wife as a teacher went through that as well, usually the student would smile, turn to her/his mom and then point to Nellie and say something along the lines, "That's my teacher!"  That is being connected.  A deeper connection is with our Lord.  He knew life is at times tough.  There come moments we don't want in our lives and we face them, we grieve, sob, say things we don't want to; or we can face them knowing we don't face them alone.  One cannot get more connected than being a grape on a vine.  And no better vine on which to grow and bear fruit than Jesus.  And then Jesus adds the words, "Abide in me as I abide in you."  More modern language says, "Live in me as I live in you."  If we have given our heart to Jesus it came with the invitation for Jesus to live in our lives. The truth is where Jesus says, "because apart from me you can do nothing."  I can't begin to list the times I have done something or received something with Jesus on my side.  Apart from Him I would have done nothing and received nothing.  The major blessings in my life came through prayers of faith and my willing to trust Jesus to provide all that I needed.  I married at the right time, though my grandma thought it was getting a little too late; God provided the right wife.  My education was provided at the right time for me to enter ministry just as God had asked.  Our daughters' births were just as we had wanted.  Some sermons have blessed people when I thought I had failed in delivering what God had asked.  And people have come to faith in Jesus through something He allowed me to say or share.

Living in Jesus will bring us much fruit; apart from Jesus will make us worry like the sheep above about some branches being thrown in the fire.  We avoid that be staying connected.

Dear One, stay connected with Jesus.  It starts with devotional time like you're doing now.  Throughout the day, share think-prayers as you face challenges or obstacles.  Spend time reading your Bible; read a book or commentary on God's word; find time to worship the Lord through prayer and other ways, and you will be not only connected, but blessed!

PRAYER:  Loving Father, thank You for being the vine-grower.  I ask that I might live in Jesus and be connected to You.  I seek to be faithful and fruitful.  May this week be a glorious week that blesses You and those who need blessing.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live in Jesus and the moments will be wonderful!

Eradio Valverde

PRAYER REQUEST:  Our prayers for Ms. Betty Sample, who fell on Saturday and was facing surgery yesterday or today.  Pray for her healing and comfort.  Our continued prayers for Rev. Harry Kahl and his hospitalization.  May the Lord bring healing to our brother.  Pray for one another; bless the Lord with joyful kindness.

Jesus, the Flavor of the Month!

from 21flavorsofsplendor.com

For some years now, our denomination and our conference especially, entertained and invited several experts in church growth to come and share with us what I came to call the flavor of the month. These men had some good ideas and were paid very handsomely to come and share with us their ideas and suggestions as to what would make our churches grow as they should. These gentlemen also brought along their own language and jargons borrowed from the business world. And that's not wrong in and of itself, for the business world has borrowed from our language quite freely. Evangelist was a term first used by such giants as Apple and others, who hired professional aggressive persons to share their message. To evangelize meant the task of luring away sold PC users to Mac. Some borrowed the word gospel, as in their product was "good news" to those who needed it, and buying their product would bring satisfaction. (Please note even corporations did not use the word "salvation"). More recently I have heard that the business world has hired professional story tellers to tell their stories of vision and success to help them achieve a better bottom line. But I digress, it came to the point where I personally did not like sitting in meetings of the church hearing about "wheel houses," "silos," "band widths," and others that thankfully God has erased from my memory. I longed to hear the words evangelism, as in our sense of sharing the gospel with the lost; I longed to hear about prayer, outreach, witness, testifying, and mission. Mission and vision, were also those church words borrowed from us by the business world.

Here's an ancient idea to help the church truly become "The historic church making His story new;" Jesus as our flavor of the month. Yes, Jesus, the Son of God as in what John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." Yes, Jesus as Savior, as in the one who takes away our sins and hurts and makes us new. Just this morning on a social media app I saw a picture of a park bench with the question: "If you could sit and talk for one hour with one person, who would it be?" The answers, for the most part, were sincere. One woman shared it would be her husband, who died in a Marine Military aircraft crash. Another woman listed her six week old son who died at that age. A man said his dad. Another said his grandpa. But most of the answers shared a longing to sit with God or Jesus, just to be held and to hear that everything would be alright. "My Father God just to feel his arms around me and to hear His voice. I need this soooo much right now...The world is so cruel." Another wrote, "My Savior! Jesus Christ to hug Him. He has been always by my side... My husband passed away 5 months ago for cancer but I know he's in a good place without pain." This is the Jesus we should preach; the One who can and does hold us and speak to us words of encouragement and hope.

Jesus, the Redeemer, the One who can lead us into faithfulness and fruitfulness.

Why would the psalmist share this invitation? "O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8)

Jesus. The Flavor of the month! No, make it Jesus the Flavor for All Eternity.

Be blessed!