Remain In Me

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 109 - John 15:4-5 - Remain In Me- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 109 – John 15:4-5 – Remain In Me – 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)

Remain In You

What would my life look like if I were to remain in you? What would I be doing differently if I were to live a life of continually abiding in you? What has been hindering me from living a life of abiding in you? What would help me to truly live a life of abiding in you? Those are all very good questions. Do you have any answers? I know what not abiding in you looks like. I’m listening. When I let my life become entirely entangled in the frantic pace of life, without any thought of you, I am clearly not abiding in you. When I allow my thoughts and words and actions to go completely unchallenged or uncritiqued by any desire to know and do your will, I am clearly not abiding in you. When I come up with plans and dreams and desires and goals without consulting with you, I am clearly not abiding in you. When I rely solely on my own power and strength to accomplish what is before me, I am clearly not abiding in you. You do understand quite well what not abiding in me looks like on a daily basis. Yes, I do. So, you have gained valuable experience. Knowing the nature of your problem is vital information. Yes, it is. How have you come to understand what not abiding in me looks like? Not on my own, that is for sure. You have revealed to me what life looks like without abiding in you. I’m glad that you have heard me speaking to you. Me too.

Now, let’s go back to one of your previous questions. How will you live your life differently now that you want to abide in me? I will set aside a daily time and place to meet with you. I will make meeting with you the highest priority in my life. I want to know you. I want to love you. I want to follow and serve you. I want to live my life with and for you. I want to live in an intimate relationship with you. I will not allow myself to race though life without hearing from you. I will come to rest in your presence. I will slow down and quiet myself before you, so I can hear from you. I will allow you to teach and train me. I will allow you to mold and shape me. I will allow you to guide me to where you want me to go. I will allow you to give me what you want me to do. I will rely on your power to help me to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans. That is very good. Then you will bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, I don’t want to live a fruitless life. I know apart from you I can do nothing. Daily, I want to remain vitally connected to you. I want your life to flow into my life. I want to live a life of continually abiding in you. I want to bear an abundance of fruit for you. Amen

Key Question… What are some specific habits that have helped you to continue to abide in Christ on a daily basis?

Living It Out… Make it your daily pattern and practice to abide in Christ.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will make you able to bear fruit as you abide in Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are continually making it your daily practice to abide in Christ.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you remain in the Lord so you can bear fruit for Him.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 109 – John 15-4-5 – Remain In Me – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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

Remain In Me And I Will Remain In You

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

Abide In Me

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