A living relationship

I have been blogging mostly about John 15 during the month of January.  I came again to the text this evening, knowing that God Spirit would have something fresh again.  And he did.

As I was reading about the vine and the branches, about bearing fruit, about abiding, again I saw the living relationship. God brings life. He is life.

This past summer my grandchildren had a great time in our raspberry patch.  The raspberry crop was abundant...and tasty!  They would push through the bushes, exploring under the leaves, finding more and more fresh berries.  And no matter how many they ate, there were always more to follow.

What a picture of God's garden he has prepared for our lives.  His fruit is abundant.  There is no danger of exhausting the supply of love, joy, peace, patience and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit. No matter how much we partake, there is always more.  In fact, the more we partake and enjoy his fruit in our lives, the more we will find under the next leaf, behind that next branch.

A husband's love

In John 15:13 we read this: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."  

Ephesians 5:25 says this: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

How great is the love of Jesus toward you?  Great enough that he  willingly laid down his life.
Love Song - Third Day from Kevin Porter on Vimeo.

Hide and Seek

Adam and Eve tried to hide from God in the garden.  God came waking in the garden in the cool of the evening seeking them.

When the one sheep was lost, the good shepherd left the 99 and came seeking the one lost sheep.

When you are lost or hiding from God, he will come seeking you as well.

The Bible says, "Seek the Lord while he may be found."  Psalm 119 says, "Your Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you."

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you:"

"You are my hiding place."

What is in a name?

Depending on who is giving the name, there is a whole bunch in a name indeed!

The first names were given by God himself.  God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” That's some pretty powerful name calling!  God then shared the naming role with Adam, inviting him to name the animals. 

God's delegated authority was given to Adam. And when Adam named the animals, "whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name."

What name does God give you? 

John 15:15

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

He calls you "friend".  What a great name! 

From slave, to friend.  But it doesn't even end there.  In Ephesians 5:25-27, he even calls us his bride. What a love! What a God!

He is divine, you are de branch

John 15:5 NASB

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

I was reminded of a Keith Green song as I read this :

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Home is where the heart is

Where are you most at home? Where is that place that just fits, that you know is just right? Even when physically away, your thoughts and your heart return to home. It is the place your heart and thoughts abide.

John 15:9-10 NASB

Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Reading the verse above, what is the most recent commandment that Jesus could be referring to in verse 10? It is right there in verse 9. He commands us to abide in his love.  He calls and invites us to make his love our home.

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Getting Personal

I was just reading John 15 in the NIV instead of the NASB that I usually read.  I noticed an interesting wording difference.  Instead of saying "If any anyone..." like is says in NASB, it says "If you..."  Ultimately, if you are anyone, it still applies to you, regardless of the wording.  But it is a good thing when God taps you on the shoulder and says, "I'm talking to you."

You may have heard the suggestion of doing this with John 3:16, the most quoted verse of all Scripture.  Rather than saying, "For God so loved the world", put your name in there.  "For God so loved Mark"