Tag Archives: he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Remains In Me

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - If - John 15:5 - Remains In Me - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – If – John 15:5 – Remains In Me – Growing As Disciples

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NIV) 

Bearing Fruit

Do you want to bear an abundance of fruit for me? Yes Lord, I want to bear an abundance of fruit for you. Bearing an abundance of fruit for me will not come through your hard efforts. On your own you could work tirelessly and never bear lasting fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name. I do not want to see you live a futile and fruitless life. Your own efforts give me no pleasure no matter how hard you work.

What does give you pleasure? You tell me. I know that apart from you I can do nothing. How do you know that? Both your word and my experience tell me that I can do nothing apart from you. Many times I have worked myself ragged with my own efforts and bore no lasting fruit that would bring glory to your name. That’s right.

Do you believe my word? Do you trust what I am saying to you? Yes Lord, I believe in you and trust your word. What does my word say about how I have designed you? You have made me to live in a close and intimate relationship with you. That’s right. You are my source. I need to remain connected to you. Every good and perfect thing that I have received comes from you. You are the one who will give me power and strength to serve you. You are the one that will enable me to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Yes, I will.

How will you remain connected to me? How will you live in a close and intimate relationship with me? I will set aside a special place and a specific time to meet with you. I will meet with you in your word. I will talk with you in prayer. I will give thanks and praise and worship to you for all that you have done, are doing and will do in my life. I will follow you to where you lead me. I will do what you ask of me. I will listen to your voice as you speak to me. I will sit quietly with you in your presence. In every way, I will draw near to you as you draw near to me. I will live in total dependence on you. I will rely on you to help me to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I will allow you to work in and through me as I love, follow and serve you. I will live in close fellowship with others in your body.  I will give and receive encouragement from them as I live my life with and for you. In all these ways I will remain vitally connected in an intimate relationship with you. That will be very good.

Lord, thank you that you are the vine and I am one of your branches. You made me to be vitally connected to you. You sustain and strengthen and empower me to bear an abundance of fruit as I remain in you. That is what I will continue to do. Amen

Key Question…  When can you make time every day to meet with the Lord so you can remain in Him?

Living It Out…  Make time and choose a special place to meet with the Lord everyday so that you will continue to remain in Him.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that you will bear an abundance of fruit as you continue to remain in the Lord.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how remaining in the Lord has caused you to bear fruit for Him.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you remain in Christ so that you will bear an abundance of fruit for Him.

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

If – John 15-5 – Remains 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

Remain In Me And I Will Remain In You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Rhythms - John 15:4-5 - Remain In Me And I Will Remain In You- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Rhythms – John 15:4-5 – Remain In Me And I Will Remain In You- Growing As Disciples

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5 (NIV)

Nothing

I don’t want to live a fruitless life. I don’t want my life to be filled with lots of activity that will amount to absolutely nothing. I want my life to be filled with meaning and purpose. I want my life to have mattered in light of all eternity. When I come before you, I don’t want to look back on a life that is filled with regret of what I could have accomplished for you. I want to accomplish every purpose and plan that you had in mind when you created me. I don’t want to have missed any opportunity or left anything undone. One day I would like to hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Where do you think all these desires of yours have come from? I think these desires in my heart come from you. You are right about that. You and I both want the same thing. I want you to bear an abundance of fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name.

What must you do if you want to bear an abundance of fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name? I must remain in a vital and intimate and connected relationship with you. That’s right. What would living in a vital, intimate and connected relationship with me look like? That kind of life is observable? Yes, it is. I’m not sure what you mean. What has helped you to remain vitally and intimately connected to me? Meeting you in your word has helped me to remain intimately and vitally connected to you. What else? Talking to you in prayer, meeting with you in worship, and serving you in ministry have all helped me to remain intimately and vitally connected to you. That’s right. Has anything or anyone else encouraged you to live in an intimate relationship with me? Fellow believers have spurred me on and helped me to live in an intimate and connected relationship with you. Receiving encouragement from fellow believers, in a small group, has both challenged and encouraged me to remain vitally connected to you. I have desperately needed encouragement to remain vitally and intimately connected to you. You have encouraged me. You have placed others in my life to encourage me. Yes, I have. Keep on living in an intimate, vital and connected relationship with me. Yes, Lord, I will. Then you will bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name. 

Lord, I have been distant. I have been independent. I have been isolated. I want no more of that kind of life. Help me to remain in a vital, intimate and connected relationship with you. I want to bear an abundance of fruit for your kingdom. Amen

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

Rhythms – John 15-4-5 – Remain In Me – Remain In You – 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