WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL,STAY CONNECTED TO JESUS,KEYS TO A FRUITFUL LIFE
Abide in me, and I in you. 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. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
The two pear trees in my yard produced a lot of delicious pears last summer. Did those branches have to strain and strive to produce those pears? No! The only requirement for the branch to grow fruit was to stay connected to the tree.
Recently, a hailstorm broke a small branch off one of the trees. That branch, lying on the ground, will sadly never produce any more fruit.
So the secret to being fruitful, as Jesus said in John 15, is to abide in Jesus — that is, to stay connected to Him. Unfortunately, that’s not as easy as it sounds. How can we practically stay connected to Jesus every day and live a Godly life? Here are a few ways:
Commit Yourself Daily to Jesus
Paul says in Romans 12:1, "I urge you, therefore, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Our natural, human tendency is to live for ourselves and to seek our own happiness. In response, a great practice is to start your day by offering yourself to God.
You might pray something like this: "Father, thank You that I am Your child and Your servant. Today I offer all of myself to You, to love, serve and obey You. Use me however You will, for Your glory."
Talk to Jesus
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing." You've already started your day with God, but don't let your fellowship end there. Talk to Him throughout the day. Tell Jesus you love Him and thank Him for His blessings, even the ordinary ones. Ask Him for wisdom (James 1:5).
Steve Douglass of Campus Crusade for Christ tells us, "When your mind wanders, let it wander to God. Let your first stop be God." Through practice and repetition, we can actually train our minds to go to God, which helps us in living a Godly life.
Listen to Jesus
Jesus went on in John 15 to say, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7). God can speak to us in our hearts, through his Holy Spirit. But He has already spoken through His Word, the Bible. Jesus’ “words abiding in us” means we are regularly reading and listening to His words.
Don't just read the Bible. Take time to read, then pause and ask God to give His knowledge to you. Not just to your mind, but to your heart.
Also, make it a point to memorize portions of scripture — at least a paragraph or a chapter, so you have God's word in context. Then you can review those in your mind throughout the day. And God can — and will — speak to you in that way also. That's what the psalmist means when he says, "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11).
After 40 years of knowing Jesus, I can tell you that there is no better, more joyful way to live each day, than committing myself to Him, talking to Him and listening to Him. I pray that you will have this same joy and that by His grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit, you would be fruitful and live a Godly life, for the glory of God.
Pray this week:
Lord, thank You that I don’t have to live the Christian life on my own power, but just need to stay connected to You. Help me to know how to do that. Speak to me in prayer and through Your holy Word.
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