Written by Rhonda Boyd Alstott

Most of the time, when I think of glorifying God, worship and praise come to mind, but in this last of the seven “I am” statements of Jesus, I find out that bearing fruit is another way that we glorify God.  This comes straight from the mouth of Jesus as he makes his farewell discourse.  In true Jesus fashion, he gives us an allegory of a vine and branches to make His point.  We cannot bear fruit unless we abide in him, and he abides in us.  He also gives the indication that not abiding leads to some pretty serious consequences.

So what does abiding in Jesus really mean?  The Greek word used for abide is meno and it means to remain, dwell, and continue.  Jesus is specific about this when He further says that His words are to abide with us.  There is nothing we can do of eternal value if we are not remaining in Jesus and letting His Word continue in us.  It’s the only way we can bear fruit.  It’s like Jesus is telling me that my relationship with Him is so important that I must safeguard it so I can fully abide in Him.  By doing this, I can grow more in Christlikeness and help further His kingdom.

Maybe the best way I can describe what abiding in Christ really means is to share what it looks like in my life personally:

*I am faithful to study the words of Jesus found in the gospels.  Though often challenging, these words give me concrete examples of who Jesus was and how He loved and dealt with those around Him. 

*Consistent prayer time where I am able to pray “your will, not mine”.  I am able to set aside my personal preferences for the better good of the faith community I live in.

*I am not motivated by fear and have peace knowing that there is nothing that I will go through that He is not there with me.

*My critical spirit demonstrated by contentiousness stays at bay.  This battle of my flesh is only won with my staying connected to Jesus.

*My motivation has less to do with a personal agenda and more to do with a kingdom agenda.

*I have a supernatural love for others that I don’t like, don’t agree with and don’t understand.  As much as I try to do this in my own power, it is a supernatural love that overcomes my personal thoughts and feelings and I in turn am able to pray for God’s best in their lives.

*I am able to forgive others as God has forgiven me. 

*I can work with others in the body of Christ to accomplish the greater good for His kingdom.

I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the picture.  Abiding in Christ enables us to grow up spiritually into disciples that reflect the true heart and nature of Jesus instead of selfish desires.  In Verse 12 of Chapter 15 Jesus commands us to “Love one another”. 

One of the Studies I have done in the past two years was Beth Moore’s Chasing Vines.  She gave us a list of questions that helped us see how we were abiding in Christ.  We were challenged to use them to evaluate the health of the fruit we were growing in our life.  I leave them with you for those looking for a great personal assessment:

*Is my heart growing warmer or colder toward people?

*Am I constantly in a bad mood?

*Am I increasingly exhausted?

*Do I get fixated on offenses, or am I willing to overlook most of them?

*Have I become harsher or gentler over the last year?

*Do I lose control easier?

May you abide in Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith

And May your fruit be filled with the love of Christ, to further His kingdom, not ours……

That’s what I inventory. I ask God to search my innermost thoughts and feelings and show me where I’m offensive or hurtful. Am I selfish, self-seeking, self-pitying? Is my self-will in control? How can I ask God to remove something I don’t even know I have? He shines His light on the darkness within me and I can see the exact nature of my wrongs. I see I am a complainer, lacking in humility, desirous of control, arrogant, dishonest, acting in self-righteous anger, fearful, argumentative, a worrier, lacking tolerance, judgmental, impatient, holding high expectations of others … you get the picture.

I’m surprised to find how often and how easily these defects of sin surface in a single day. I see now that if I have fears, frustrating situations, worries or hurts, it’s likely I am the problem. I create my own chaos. Why can’t I be better? Because I can’t. Only God can relieve me from this bondage of self. Only God is able to transform me from my self-will to God-will if I am willing to let Him. I learn to take responsibility for my part of the problem without looking at the other person. God helps me to look at all of my shortcomings with honesty and no fear.

But it’s all about the action. I know it’s a daily surrender to God in my life. I ask Him to make me aware of my faults throughout the day and ask for help to pause so I can say “Not my will but thine be done.” I ask God to show me a better course of action. I practice not worrying about what I can’t control, giving everything over to God. I ask for His guidance in all things.

I know it’ll take a lifetime but God says progress, not perfection. He’s pleased with my willingness to do the work. I experience more serenity, hope, and a love for others that I’ve not had. I see how my forgiveness and mercy to others is a gift, not an act of martyrdom, because of the effect of God’s love and mercy on me. I can live in gratitude and freedom, no matter what, as long as I take my position by His side one day at a time.

I know I’m not alone. We have a shared problem – sin. But the good news is we have a shared solution – God. It’s the victory over all this that testifies to me the miraculous transforming power of God in my life. Not my victory, but God’s victory!

Written by Sue Schmitt

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. NLT

My picture of happiness is all of my children and grandchildren gathered around my table in the house. We are sharing a meal, and sharing our stories of love and laughter throughout our years together. There is no greater feeling than being with those you have loved and nurtured for almost 40 years. This is my wish, but not my reality. I have a broken family. Two of my daughters have chosen to exit my family. It is heartbreaking, and yet I hear God ask me to continue to pray and follow him. Can I leave behind the perfect picture that I thought was my family, and still follow God with love and joy?

I recently read Max Lucado’s book, You’ll Get Through This. He used parallels of the story of Joseph to illustrate how we suffer today. I can relate to Joseph. I have been cast out by my daughters. Joseph was sold by his brothers. He was only 17 years old when his brothers threw him in the cistern. He was 37 when he would see his brothers again, and still a few years later before he would see his own father. Sometimes, God takes his time. I haven’t seen one of my daughters in five years, and the other in a year. It feels like an eternity to me. Joseph never lost sight of God, and always remained firm in his faith.

Geneses 39:20-21 says, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him: he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Joseph endured slavery, exile, imprisonment, for over 20 years before he was reunited with his brother. When the opportunity arrived, he was without anger.

God took 120 years to prepare Noah for the flood, and he took 80 years to prepare Moses for his work! God wants us to trust him and defeat Satan. God can turn any bad situation into a teaching moment with a good result. Life is hard. Everyone has suffering and difficulties. If we keep our eyes focused on God, and His word, God will see us through the difficult times. God is our refuge and strength.

Maybe we need to surrender our wants, and ask God, what is it that He wants? Do you trust God enough to surrender your brokenness? Allow God to have the time and show you what He has in store for you. If we trust God to do the next best thing in our lives, the results are limitless.

Maybe you do not suffer from a broken family, maybe it’s a frustrating job, or a difficult school. Give it to God. Pray for his help, and guidance to leave the hurt behind you. What might God have in store for me that could be better than anything I could have imagined? What are the possibilities? God is limitless. You may be surprised!

Written by Becky Perkins

Written by Cindy Music

I thought I was doing what God and my peers expected of me. Keep in mind I only hung out with people who were like me.

Move forward a few years. I was introduced to someone that was kind, giving, fun to talk to and laughed about the same things as I did. We would hang out, go to movies, to the zoo, or just talk on the phone. One area we weren’t alike was this person was not a Christian. In fact, not a believer. When I realized this, I began to change how I saw this person. We’d meet at the movies and I would bolt as soon as I could. I didn’t linger in conversation or have dinner afterwards. You can see the pattern starting again.

One evening during my prayer time, the Holy Spirit was very clear in telling me, if I was the only Jesus this person ever saw, I had done a pitiful job. I had been everything but Christ like. In fact, I had given this person so many “Christian” restrictions there was no room for Christ’s love and acceptance to come through.

So, what do you do with that? I called and apologized. I confessed that for someone who claimed to be a Christ follower, I had not shown Christ’s love. What I found out in the conversation that night was this person had been turned off by churches because of how Christians had treated them. This person had long hair and heavy metal t-shirts. When he went to church, he was told how he needed to dress, act, and present himself. He had to fit into their box in order to be accepted.

You see, God used a non-believer to open my eyes to see people how He sees them. Recently, this person’s friend asked me if he goes to church or shows any interest in knowing Jesus. My reply was, “My husband will not be one who comes to know Jesus by walking through the front door of the church. It will be through the back door. Where people accept him as he is, and walk through life being Jesus to him.” A lot of damage has to be undone before he will be able to see the authenticity of the Christ followers who love and see him as Jesus’ does.

I continue the process of restoring old relationships with friends and family that I had once passed judgement on. I have learned that I cannot make disciples of Jesus when my only relationships are with people just like me. Since I started allowing God to transform my stubbornness into openness and grace, I love having relationships with people who don’t always think or believe like I do. These are the people that God uses to broaden my knowledge and life experiences. I am learning how to be a part of someone’s life and still be what God wants me to be. When I am focused on the direction God is leading me in, I don’t have much time to judge others on where they should be.

I am working hard at meeting new people from all walks of life. I can’t know what others are going through unless I walk along side of them. What great experiences I have had in recent years. I like getting to know people and what their life experiences have been. It helps me grow in my faith and what better way to share Jesus than with someone.

Yes, there are still times that God goes around my stubbornness and uses someone else to accomplish His mission. Sadly, those are opportunities that I have missed seeing God at work. I have no one else to blame but my own selfish ways.

Life is too short to miss out on God experiences. I will continue my faith journey, knowing God isn’t finished with me yet.