Monthly Archives: April 2016

Abide In Me

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Knowing God - John 15:4-5 - Abide In Me - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Knowing God – John 15:4-5 – Abide In Me – Growing As Disciples

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. John 15:4-5 (ESV)

Bear Much Fruit

I am the vine. You are a branch. What does that tell you? I am connected to you. I was designed to live in an intimate relationship with you. You are my source of life. All that I need flows through you. There is not a minute of the day or a moment of my life when I can vibrantly live apart from you.

You have been called to abide in me. You are meant to remain in me. What does that tell you? It is possible to live a life that is disconnected from you. I need to guard against being lured away from you. The world and all that is in it could distract me from living in a vital and intimate relationship with you. Living in a vital and intimate relationship with you will require consistent effort and discipline on my part. Abiding in you will require me to make significant and life altering choices. What kind of choices will you need to make? I will need to choose to make it my practice to abide in you. How will you do that? If I want to abide in you I will need to live a life of prayer. Our life together will be one long and ongoing prayer filled conversation. I will draw near to you and you will draw near to me. I will listen attentively to all that you have to say to me. We will talk together about all of life. Yes, we will. What else? As I abide with you I will meet with you in your word. There is not a day that I will not need to hear what you want to teach me. You will mold and shape my life with your word. You will change my heart and transform my mind with your word. You will guide my life, give me comfort and strengthen me with your word. Your Holy Spirit, living in me, will bring your word to my remembrance and apply it to my life. That’s right. What else? As I abide with you I will want to bow down to worship you. I will give thanks to you for all your goodness to me. I will praise your name for who you are and all that you have done. I will gather together with the body of believers you have placed me in to express my love to you as I worship you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. That’s very good. What else? As I abide in you I will want to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I want to bear an abundance of fruit for you that will last for all eternity. I know that apart from you I can do nothing. I want my life to be used by you. I want to do the good works that you have planned for me to do for you. I will go where you guide me. I will do all that you ask of me. Live your life in these ways. Make these choices and you will be abiding in me. Yes Lord, I will.

Lord, thank you that you are the vine and I am your branch. You are my source of vibrant and eternal life now and forever. I will remain vitally connected to you on a daily moment-by-moment basis so I can bear abundant and lasting fruit for your kingdom. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Knowing God – John 15-4-5 – Abide In Me – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

The Tongue

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Life - James 3:6 - The Tongue - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Life – James 3:6 – The Tongue – Growing As Disciples

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:6 (NIV) 

Life Giving Words

There is power in your tongue. How so? Your words can kill or your words can heal. You can speak life giving words that will lift others up or you can speak life taking words that will tear others down. What kind of words would you like to speak? Obviously, I would like to speak life giving words that will lift others up. Why is that obvious? Would everyone see it as obvious by the words that have come out of your mouth? Well, I said that I would like to speak life giving words. I did not say that I have always spoken life giving words. That wouldn’t be true. But that’s what I want and that’s what you asked me. Yes, I did, you’re right. So, do you want to make a break with the past? Yes, I do. Do you want new life giving words to come out of your mouth? Yes, I do,

What will need to happen for life giving words to come out of your mouth? I’m not sure, I really don’t know. Do you think that the words of your mouth can be different than what’s in your heart and on your mind? I don’t think so. I’ve tried to keep a lid on negative thoughts and words that I’ve held on to in my heart and mind. Sooner or later those words have erupted and come out of my mouth. Yes, they have and that has not been pretty, has it? No, it hasn’t. Then I’ve spoken life taking words that have torn others down. Yes, you have.

Would you agree that your heart and mind have to change before the words of your mouth will change? Yes, I would. Would you also agree that whatever is in your heart and on your mind will one day come out? Yes, I would. So, if evil is in your heart and on your mind it will come out, is that true? Yes, it is. Likewise, if good is in your heart and on your mind, it will come out, is that also true? I am sure that it is. So, do you want me to change what is in your heart and on your mind? Yes, I do. Why don’t you change your heart and mind by yourself? I would if I could but I can’t. Are you sure? Yes, I’m sure. What makes you so sure you can’t change your own heart and mind? I’ve tried that many times and failed miserably. Yes, you have. Only you can change my heart and mind. Yes, that’s right.

Do you believe that I will change your heart and mind so that you can speak my life giving words? Yes, I do. What do you think I will use to change your heart and mind? You will use your Holy Spirit living inside of me to change me. Yes, I will. What will my Holy Spirit use as a tool to change your heart and your mind? Your Holy Spirit will use your word to change my heart and mind. He will help me to think and speak your words. Yes, He will and then you will be able to speak the life giving words that I will give you to speak into the lives of others. Then my words will come pouring out of your life. Then you be a witness for me in the world. That is exactly what I want.

Lord, in the past the words of my mouth have been like a flamethrower. I have said things that have hurt people and destroyed relationships. No more! Take charge of my tongue. Help me to speak life giving words to other people. Amen

Life – James 3-6 – The Tongue – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

If It Is The Lord’s Will

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Knowing God - James 4:13-17- It It Is The Lord's Will - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Knowing God – James 4:13-17- It It Is The Lord’s Will – Growing As Disciples

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. James 4:13-16 (NIV)

Making Plans

What’s your plan? What would you like to do with your life? What would you like your life to accomplish in the short time that you have to live it? When you look back over your life what would have to happen for you to know that your life was well spent? I’m wondering if those are good or trick questions. Why would you say that? There is no guarantee that my plan is your plan. There is the very real possibility that what I might like to do might lead me to misspend my life. What I might want to accomplish might be quite different from what you want to do in and through my life. I’m not sure if I have all the knowledge and wisdom that I would need to decide how to spend my life. Are you saying that you can’t answer these questions? I could answer them. I’m not sure that I can answer them correctly. In fact I have had a history of answering them incorrectly. What do you mean by that? I have made plenty of plans that did not have you in them. I have made plans based on pleasure. I have made plans based on power. I have made plans based on prestige. All of these plans have not ended well. All of these plans have left me unsatisfied, unhappy and unfulfilled. I have known that I have been doing the wrong things for all the wrong reasons.

What do you want? I want to ask you some questions. Go ahead I’m listening. What’s your plan? What do you want to do with my life? What do you want to accomplish in my life in the short time that I have to live it? When we look back over my life together what would have to happen for us to know that my life was well spent? You have turned the table on me. That’s right. Why have you done that? What are you saying to me? I want to know you. I want to know and do your will. I have no interest in making plans without you. I have done enough of that already. I have wasted time and energy and resources doing what wasn’t in your plans for me to do. I want to go where you guide me. I want to do what you ask of me. I want to accomplish the work that you have given me to do for you. I want to bear fruit for your kingdom. I want to bring glory to your name. That is the only way that I will ever know that my life was well spent. So, I’m asking you to use my life for your purposes and according to your plan. That is what I want. That is what you want. That is what we want. Yes, it is.

Lord, I have made plans without seeking to know your will. I have chased after priorities other than knowing you and doing your will. How foolish have I been? Help me now to know you and do your will. Use my life for your purposes and according to your plans. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Knowing God – James 4-13-16 – Making Plans – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Consider Them Rubbish

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Knowing God - Philippians 3:8 - Consider The Rubbish - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Knowing God – Philippians 3:8 – Consider The Rubbish – Growing As Disciples

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8 (NIV)

What Counts?

What do you mean by that? Mean by what? You are asking me what counts. You want to know what I consider to be valuable, isn’t that true? Yes, I do. Why are you asking me that question? It’s a very important question, isn’t it? Yes, I’m sure that it is. Any question that you ask me is important. I want to know what’s behind your question. Oh, I’m positive that you know the answer to that already. You do? Yes, I do. Tell me what you think. I don’t want to waste my time. I don’t want to waste my life. I want my life to have been well spent and have counted for what is of eternal value. I don’t want to stand there one day with you looking back over my life with a regret that my life was not well spent. I don’t want that to happen to you either. That is why I have asked you this question. What counts?

I know what counts. I know what is valuable. Tell me. There is nothing more valuable than knowing you. I could not spend my time more wisely than coming to know you. Why is that? As I come to know you I will become like you. As I come to know you I will think your thoughts. As I come to know you I will do your will. As I come to know you I will walk in your ways. As I come to know you I will love you. As I come to know you I will love others. All I hope to be will be fulfilled as I come to know you. Knowing you will enable me to be all that you want me to be. Knowing you will make me to be a better parent, spouse, child, sibling, friend, neighbor, and coworker. Knowing you will help me to do what you have given me to do. Knowing you will allow me to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Yes, it will. If I have known you and done your will I will never regret how my life was spent. No, you will not.

How will you come to know me? I will come to know you by responding to your call. You are calling me to come to know you. Yes, I am. You want me to live in a close and intimate relationship with you. You want me to set aside what is worthless so that I will have time to come to know you. Yes, I do. You want me to draw near to you. You will draw near to me. Yes, I will. As we meet together you will help me to know you. You will help me to know your will and to walk in your ways. You will help me to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. You will help me to do what counts. Yes, I will.

Lord, I have wasted so much time and energy on what will amount to being worth less than nothing. I want my life to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I want to use my time to come to know you and minister to the needs of others. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Knowing God – Philippians 3-8 – Consider Them Rubbish – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com