Tag: abide in Jesus

John 15:1-17 – Abide

Read John 15:1-17

I love it when Jesus uses one of his “I am” statements to describe himself. What does it mean to you that Jesus is the “true grapevine”? Verse 5 sums it up for me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”  I feel honored to put myself in the “branches” category.

Jesus wants us to abide and remain in Him. Do you think the disciples knew what that meant? Do we even begin to understand the depth of meaning that Jesus’ words have for our lives and how we live? When we remain in Him, we also “abide” in Him, living our lives while acknowledging his presence. There is some great stuff to ponder and reflect on in this reading. Continue reading “John 15:1-17 – Abide”

Ezekiel 15:1-8 – Wood of the Vine

Read Ezekiel 15:1-8

Normally, when we think about a vine in Biblical terms, we imagine it bearing fruit or talking about Jesus, the “true vine.” Yet Ezekiel’s message is not dealing with fruit at all, In fact, the LORD surprisingly said, “Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire!”

Other Biblical references speak of the “fruit of the vine” or bearing fruit, but Ezekiel’s vines don’t appear to be fruitful. When compared to a mighty tree of the forest, the wood of a vine would be pretty wimpy or useless for tasks known to be handled well by other wood sources, like trees. Continue reading “Ezekiel 15:1-8 – Wood of the Vine”

Nehemiah 8:13-18 – Festival of Shelters

Read Nehemiah 8:13-18

I appreciate when I can learn more about Jewish traditions and what the Law of Moses instructed the Jewish people to do. After all, these are the traditions that Jesus would have known and participated in. This feast or festival is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles and is still celebrated today for nine days sometime during the months of September or October. It is associated with the gratitude for the bounty and provisions of God.

Because the returnees were trying to do things “by the book,” literally, reviving this festival was one of those activities being renewed. Rather than “guess” at what God wanted, the leaders met to learn more by reading the law together. When we want to know how to act in a certain situation, our “go-to” should always be, “what does the Bible say,” or “what would Jesus do?”

Continue reading “Nehemiah 8:13-18 – Festival of Shelters”
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