John 15:1-17
These verses are part of the conversation Jesus had with his closest disciples after the Passover Feast. Jesus started this part of the conversation by declaring he is the true vine, and his Father is the gardener. In verse two, Jesus said, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be more fruitful.” Jesus gives everyone a chance to be a fruitful branch connected to him. When we look at Judas Iscariot, we see a disciple that did not remain in Jesus. True to what Jesus said in verse four, Judas Iscariot did not bear fruit. Another example of a branch that did not remain in the vine is the servant that received one talent in Matthew 25:24-30. That servant did not bear fruit or increase the talent he was given. Being religious is not the way a person bears fruit. Following the Old Testament is not the way a person bears fruit. A person bears fruit by having a relationship with Jesus and making that relationship their main priority. Obeying the commands Jesus gave is our way of remaining in his love and being fruitful. Jesus commands his disciples to love each other as he has loved them. Jesus is the standard or role model for all mankind when it comes to love. Everything Jesus did brought glory to his Father because he loved us the way his Father loved him. Jesus made clear in these verses that his closest disciples and those of us that would follow him after them would need to be connected to him to bear fruit that lasts and brings his Father glory. That fruit that lasts is love for others that comes from the love Jesus has for us. What is your relationship with Jesus like right now? Do you feel loved by Jesus right now? Do you have his joy inside you? Have you loved someone this week? How did you show them love? As you get older, is it easier to stay connected to Jesus or harder? As you get older, is it easier to love others or harder?
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Luke 14:25–35
In these verses, Jesus told the large crowds the cost of being his disciple. It is important for followers of Jesus and people thinking about following Jesus today to know and understand what the cost of being his disciple is. Jesus used harsh language in verse twenty-six. If we stop at this verse and do not read the verses after that, we will not know why Jesus used the word “hate” to describe how his disciples value their relationship with family and themselves compared to Jesus. It is important to value our relationship with Jesus so highly that it appears we “hate” our family and ourselves when we compare the value of those relationships to our relationship with Jesus. In the next verse, twenty-seven, Jesus gave a second cost of being his disciple. There is a cross that every disciple of Jesus must carry. Jesus himself carried a cross. His cross is what he died on so that all mankind could have their sins forgiven and their relationship with God restored. Jesus brought glory to God by carrying his cross and using it to fulfill his purpose for coming down to earth the first time. Each disciple of Jesus has a specific cross for them because they each have a specific purpose to fulfill on this earth. Our family will not always agree with what we do for Jesus. We will not always feel like doing what we must do for Jesus. People will always watch what we are doing to see what we are doing and if it is for Jesus. Jesus summarized verses twenty-six and twenty-seven in verse thirty-three. Being a disciple of Jesus means living our lives so that we value our relationship with him and fulfilling our purpose more than any relationship we have with people or things. What do you value most in your life? What evidence shows what you value most in your life? How can you help someone know the cost of being a disciple of Jesus? Matthew 22:34–40
In these verses Jesus answered a question from a Pharisee, an expert in the Old Testament law. This conversation can also be found in Mark 12:28-31. The Pharisee asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Matthew wrote about two attempts the Pharisees made to try to trap Jesus in his words, Matthew 22:15-33. This question came after those two failed attempts to trap Jesus in his words. Jesus answered the Pharisee, an expert in the Law, with two verses from the Law. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 in verse thirty-seven. If you read what Mark wrote about this conversation, he wrote that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Verse four says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This fact is important for Jews as well as for followers of Jesus Christ. We, followers of Jesus Christ, must love God the Father with all we have. Our heart should desire God more than anyone or anything else. Our soul should be dedicated to God more than anyone or anything else. Our mind should be focused on God more than anyone or anything else. Jesus quoted Leviticus 19:18 in verse thirty-nine. Love is something people need. People should love themselves and then show that same kind of love to their neighbors. In our American culture, we need to remember that loving ourselves is not the same thing as being selfish and entitled. Followers of Jesus Christ love God and receive his love. Then, from the love we have from God, we love ourselves for who he made us to be and then love our neighbors for who he made them to be. We are living in times that prove people do not have these three kinds of love in their lives: love for God, love for themselves, and love for their neighbors. The two commandments that Jesus said are the greatest in the Old Testament law are still relevant today. What is something loving you did for God this week? What is something loving you did for yourself this week? What is something loving you did for a neighbor this week? John 3:16-18
Jesus had a conversation at night with a Pharisee named Nicodemus in this chapter of John. Jesus told Nicodemus how a person could see the kingdom of God. In verse sixteen, Jesus said that he was given by his Father to the world because God loved the world. It is the people in the world that God loves, not the world itself. This world will be destroyed and a new one will take its place. However, God gives people a chance not to face everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. Everyone that chooses to believe in Jesus will have everlasting life with him. It was not God’s will that Jesus would condemn people when he came here the first time. God wanted people to believe in his only son and have their sins forgiven. Refusing to believe in Jesus is what condemns a person to spend their eternity apart from him in the lake of fire. Who do you believe in today, Jesus or someone else? Who do you trust with your eternity, Jesus or someone else? |
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