FRUITFULNESS

For Reading and Meditation: John 15

This passage talks about the importance of our relationship with our heavenly father. He is using vine and branches as an example. Jesus used a lot of natural means to communicate about the supernatural revelation. One of the themes in this chapter is a fruit bearing life of a Christian which comes out of an intimate relationship with God.

Let’s see some of the conditions of fruit bearing.

*We should be willing to be pruned in order to bear much fruit
(John 15:2).
An attitude of complete surrender to God.

*We should realise that we cannot bear fruit without remaining in the vine who is Christ (John 15:4-6).
An attitude of complete dependency on God.

*We should be willing to bring glory to our Father in heaven not us.
An attitude of having a clear conscious before God.

*We should bear fruit that last or our fruit should remain.
An attitude of consistence walks with the Lord.

It is interesting to see that the level of relationship with God is increasing here. Jesus starts with an invitation to come in to a relationship with Him. He says “abide in me then I will abide in you“. Then He is talking about the condition of bearing much fruit. Here Jesus is giving them an invitation to be His disciples (John15:8). Third time there is an invitation to be His friends (John15:15).

Our God takes us from being Believers to Disciples then to Friends. The ultimate goal of a Christian life which bears fruit is to go and be ambassadors for Him who called us as His disciples and friends. That’s where our fruit should remain and bringing many to God.

Questions to ponder: Where are we in our relationship with God today? Are we bringing glory to God by bearing much fruit? Are we bearing fruit that remain?

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, Help me to remain in you so that I can bear much fruit to glorify your name .In Jesus Name. Amen.

RESTING IN THE SHADOWS

For Reading and Meditation: Psalms 91

This psalm is a prayer of Moses which portrays his deep trust in God especially his ability to take refuge in God in times of trouble. Psalms 91:1 says, he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (NIV).

We live in a very busy world today. We run from programme to programme in a daily basis. The faster we can do things determines our level of achievements. In the middle of all these things rest becomes a questions mark for many of us. But in this above verse we can see the psalmist talking about rest –not just the physical rest but our soul finding rest in God. This is very important in every Christian life. The one who find rest in the Lord will not be shaken in any difficult circumstances. If we have faith in God doesn’t mean that we will have a problem free life. Through out this psalm we can see that a child of God can face with different problems such as trials from the enemy, sickness, disasters etc… This also doesn’t mean that we are insensitive about everything around us and not being shaken. It simply mean that we make a choice to run toward the shelter of our Almighty God who is a dwelling place for us .That is where we find rest that makes us content and satisfied .

This psalm also shows us a greater amount of submission to God in times of testing. The greatest freedom comes when we submit. The greater deliverance comes when we depend more. The protection is more known to us when we are willing to let God lead us and His shadow cover us. David, known as a man after God’s own heart knew this very well. He wrote in psalms “my soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him” (psalms 62:1 NIV)

Questions to ponder: How are we today? Are we able to rest in Him in our difficulties? Do we run to God or people in times of desperation? Will we be able to stay under His shadow in times of fear instead of running away from him?

Prayer: God help me to be sensitive to your presence and find rest in you always. You are my refuge and strength and a very present help in times of trouble. In Jesus name. Amen.

And these signs shall follow….....

For Reading and meditation: Mark 16: 17-20

Here we see a call of great commission given to all Christians. Jesus said “go in to the all world and preach the gospel to every creature (mark 16:15). He has also given us the power to drive out demons, speak in new tongues, heal the sick etc… The only condition for doing all these things was to believe. The bible says: And these signs will accompany those who believe (Mark 16:17a). The signs and wonders are given to us as promise to those who believe. If we think about these days, signs and wonders are not regular incidents in our churches. (May not be all the churches but church at large). May be we have to pause for a while to think about what we believe. Not just to see the miracle but to expand the kingdom of God. Bible says : Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it(Mark 16:20).The Greek root meaning for the word confirmed given here is to make firm, establish, secure, guarantee etc… The miracles that accompanied disciples preaching confirmed to the people the disciples were right. God was backing up their message with supernatural phenomena. We need miracles today not to bring glory to ourselves but to confirm the word we are preaching. The church should be proactive in their faith to establish the kingdom of light over darkness. We need to ask God to give us the passion of the early church to revive us…….

Prayer: Dear Father, May our heart be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which you have called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. In Jesus name. Amen

AN ATTITUDE OF BROKENNESS

For Reading and meditation : John 12: 1-8,John 6:5-13

Jesus was at Bethany for a dinner party, where Lazarus lived. His sister Martha served while Lazarus was among the guests. All of a sudden something happened. The entire house was filled with the fragrance of an expensive perfume. Everybody was curious to know what has happened. Finally they discovered the source of the fragrance. The cause of the fragrance in the entire house was Mary’s willingness to break the jar at the feet of Jesus. It was broken for a purpose. She broke the jar just to minister to Jesus but it also blessed the people around her.

Let’s see another incident here. Once Jesus and His disciples were ministering to the crowd. When they got late and Jesus wanted to feed the crowd. He put a challenge before the disciple but they failed to understand His heart. But everything changed immediately when a small boy was willing to hand his lunch box over to the disciples. It was just five loaves of bread and two small fishes. What difference will it make in that large crowd? But it did make a difference when it was broken in the hand of the master. The broken pieces multiplied and became food for all the hungry people. The little boy was willing to let go of what he had and allowed it to be broken.

What does God expect from us today? Is there any thing we can bring to God and allow Him to use it for His glory? May be our own heart. The Bible says “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, oh God you will not despise”. (Psalms 51:17 NIV)

When we live with an attitude of brokenness it brings pleasure to God. Our heavenly father uses that to bring healing to many others too.

“We leak the love of Jesus through our brokenness”

Let us have an attitude of brokenness in our daily walk with God.

Prayer: God help me to have a broken and contrite spirit, so that I can show the love of Jesus when I am weak. Let your strength be revealed in my weakness. In Jesus name. Amen.