Abiding, Praying, and Bearing Fruit in Christ

One of our primary aims at Glory of Christ Fellowship in 2016 is to become a more fully developed house of prayer for all peoples. To help stoke the fires of this vision and this way of life, we will be providing weekly devotionals on prayer and faith based on, or written by, some of the great prayer warriors of the last couple of centuries.

For this week, though, let’s sit at the feet of the Master Intercessor and listen carefully to what he has to say in John 15:7-8. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

I see several important aspects of Jesus’ words:

· The Promise: Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

· Condition 1: If you abide (or remain) in me.

· Condition 2: If my words abide in you.

· Purpose 1: The glory of the Father in answered prayer.

· Purpose 2: Visible proof that we are abiding in Christ.

· Implication 1: Let us search our hearts – are we abiding in Christ?

· Implication 2: Let us search our hearts – are his words abiding in us?

· Implication 3: Let us learn what it means to pray without ceasing.

· Implication 4: Let us live for the glory of God in all things.

Prayer Focus: Pray that Jesus will teach us what it means to abide in him, pray to him, and bear fruit in him for the glory of his name and the joy of our souls. Pray that our Father will shape us into his house of prayer.

Comments

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord, by George Muller

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord By George Muller “It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord, but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. “I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God—not prayer, but the Word of God. And here again, not the simple reading of the Word of God so that it only passes through my mind just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what I read, pondering over it, and applying it to my heart. To meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed. And that thus,...

Reflective Glory: How the Moon Displays the Mercy of God

Our sun is a fitting metaphor for the glory of God. In the context of our solar system, it is massive, bright, beautiful, powerful, self-sufficient, heat-producing, life-giving, and dangerous. It is, by far, the dominant feature of our solar system and without it the system would fling apart and all living things therein would die. On the other hand, our moon is a fitting metaphor for human beings, especially for those who believe in Jesus Christ. First, compared to the sun, the moon is tiny and dim. The sun is 400 times larger than the moon, its mass is 27 million times greater than the mass of the moon, and from our perspective its light shines 450,000 times brighter than that of the moon. The sun is so much greater than the moon that it’s difficult to quantify and express the difference. Likewise, the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is so much great than each and all of us that it’s impossible to quantify or express the difference. Indeed, the Lord is very great and greatly...

God Displays His Beauty While Lifting Heavy Burdens by Pastor Kevin

I know I am a little bit overweight. My doctor tells me so. The mirror that I look into affirms it and the scale (that I mostly avoid) reminds me every time I step on it. All of that makes what I am about to say so much more impressive. I had the privilege of sitting on the beaches of Florida's Atlantic coast for 8 days on our most recent family trip. For me there is something magical about the beach, especially on the Atlantic side with the waves washing up against the shoreline. We have been lucky enough to find a sleepy beach town to vacation at. A nook, if you will, that typically features retired folks or families with kids. Out of the way of those who want to party, the beach is truly a relaxing place for me. Let me tell you something that I gleaned this time around that never quite landed on me. This last week it landed on me, almost literally. My son Ben and I are the more adventurous specimens in the Feder five. We actually get into the salty water where there are jelly f...

Glory of Christ Fellowship

Search This Blog