Posts Tagged ‘John 15’

Back to the Basics

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Sometimes we, as followers of Jesus Christ, complicate our faith. Corporately, we bog down in theological discussions and get hung up on church politics, sometimes splitting our congregations over issues of little consequence. Individually, we strive in our own strength to please God and then berate ourselves when we fall short. We wander through wilderness experiences sometimes because of our own choices, and we question God’s presence when the going gets tough despite His repeated promises to never leave us.

What’s with all that? Maybe it’s time to get back to basics.

John 15 is one of my favorite Bible passages. In it, Christ speaks passionately with His disciples. He knew His death was only hours away, so He didn’t waste His breath chattering about this and that. He addressed the issues that really matter.

Christ repeated a particular word numerous times in this passage: remain (NLT). Some versions translate it as abide. Regardless of the translation, it’s obviously a key concept or He wouldn’t bring it up over and over again. Here are a few insights I’ve been pondering about this word as it relates to my relationship with Him…

  • How does a person remain in Christ’s love? That’s an easy answer – by obeying His commands. “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love” (v. 10).

Obeying Christ means doing what He’s told us to do – loving other people, aligning our thoughts with what’s    right and true, refusing to gossip or life, maintaining a life of sexual purity, giving thanks in all things, and so forth. Obeying Him means we acknowledge Him as our Lord. He’s at the steering wheel; we’re not. We’re cooperating with Him rather than fighting against Him. That’s how we remain in Him. Simple, eh? 

  • What are the blessings given to those who remain in Christ? There are several, and they’re all incredible. First, they live fruitful lives (v. 5). The means by which that’s accomplished differs from person to person, but the end result is the same – they impact others for eternity. Second, they can ask anything they wish from God and He’ll answer their prayers (v. 7). Their hearts will be so in tune with Him that their requests will reflect His priorities and desires, therefore, their prayers are guaranteed an answer. How sweet is that? Third, they experience overflowing joy (v. 11). No matter what life brings, they know joy because they know and trust Jesus with the details.  And last, they enjoy friendship with Jesus (v. 14). Imagine that – friendship with one who’s all-wise, all-powerful, always faithful, and always loving. It doesn’t get much better than that!

This is just a snippet of the goodies in John 15. My blog word count can’t do it justice, but  hopefully I’ve communicated the essence of Christ’s message when He taught the disciples about what really matters. If we, as individual believers, get back to spiritual basics and make it our personal goal to remain in Christ, everything else falls into place.

Any thoughts? What insights do you have from this passage? What practical steps do you take to remain in Christ?

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Goin’ Fishing

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

IM coworkers -- my friend Karla is in the back middle

Today’s been a busy day. It began with an early morning prayer meeting at our church – our overnight guests (IM missionaries from Slovakia) were the featured speakers there. Afterwards we went out for breakfast with the prayer meeting attendees (as is the tradition for this particular group of mostly retired missionaries). It was a great time for my friend, Karla Thiessen, to tell more about life in Slovakia and ministry among the gypsies there.

The rest of the day was filled with random stuff – fix lunch for our guests, help Karla prepare her workshop handouts for Missions Fest, get my eyes checked (I’m trying contact lenses without much luck), and then driving our guests to a family member’s home 40 miles away. It’s nearly suppertime, and I’m finally sitting down to write my blog.

For those of you who do your quiet time in the morning as I do, I’m going to do my best to post early in the day from now on. I want to keep this as a priority and to make it as convenient as possible for my readers. By the way, thank you for your comments – I really enjoy hearing about what you’re learning. We can all benefit from each other’s life lessons. Keep ‘em coming!

And now, for today’s thoughts…

When Jesus called Simon and Andrew to join His team, how did He phrase the invitation? He said, “Follow Me, and I’ll show you how to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). He could have said, “Follow Me and I’ll show you how to fish for wealth,” or “Follow Me and I’ll show you how to fish for popularity.” Yes, He could have made these promises, but He didn’t. Instead, He said, “I’ll show you how to fish for people.” No doubt about it – Jesus values people. In fact, His love for mankind motivated Him to leave His heavenly home, give up His rights as God, become a servant, and obey to the point of death on a cross.

Here are a couple of questions this verse brings to mind:

  • Do I share Christ’s passion? Or do I too easily get caught up in my own pursuits – as legitimate as they may seem – bypassing people in the process?
  • How can I ensure I maintain Christ’s focus on people?

Perhaps the secret of success for the latter question lies in Christ’s command: “Follow Me.” The closer my relationship is with Jesus, the more likely I am to value what He values. The more likely it is that I’ll share His heartbeat for what matters most. The more probable it is that I’ll be a conduit of His love for men and women within my sphere of influence.

It’s the John 1 “abiding in the vine” principle. As I abide in Christ, my life will produce much fruit. And that fruit is all about impacting people. It’s all about loving them, befriending them, showing kindness and sympathy and empathy, being respectful and non-discriminatory. It’s about taking time to listen and to show interest and to care. As I follow Jesus, He’ll make me more like Him. The automatic result is that people – not things, programs, or my own personal pursuits – will take a higher priority in my life.

What are your thoughts on this topic? What does “fishing for people” look like in real life for you?

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