5-25-18 The First 15

The Weekly Overview The absolute, most important single act of the children of God is making space to encounter our heavenly Father in the secret place. Abiding in God is the foundation on which every other aspect of the Christian life finds success. It establishes roots which enable us to receive all that we need to bear the fruit of the Spirit. It guides us to constant refreshment and revival in God’s presence, thereby supplying and sustaining the abundant life God intends for us. My prayer is that you would be marked by wonderful, satisfying, and fulfilling encounters with the presence of God as we look at John 15:1-17 this week. Make room in your heart and mind to rest in the love of your heavenly Father as we look at the different ways we are to abide in the true vine of God.

The Scripture “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” -  John 15:16

The Worship Experience Artist: Bethel Music feat. Brian Johnson Song: For the Sake of the World

The Devotional You have been chosen and appointed to bear eternal and impactful fruit. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” God created all of us with a longing to make an important and lasting impact with the intention of satisfying that longing in him. He has a plan for your life that doesn’t belong to anyone else. You alone can accomplish the works set before you, and you won’t find true satisfaction until you do. Your heavenly Father has placed desires in you which he has plans to satisfy in magnificent and joyful ways. He knows for what purposes you were created and longs to lead you into a lifestyle of good works that will fill you with all the abundance of life available to you through Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” You were created to live a lifestyle of good works. It is not outside of your nature to accomplish amazing things no matter how you’ve lived your life up to this point. God takes what the world has deemed broken and useless and transforms it into the very likeness of his son, Jesus. He has plans to transform you into his disciple: ready, equipped, and useful for every good and fruitful work. Believe today that God would use you and discover the wealth of plans he has set before you. Surrender to the truth that God has better plans than you can ask or imagine in store for you if you will follow him. Come before him with expectation today, ready to receive all the he would guide you to. Let’s dive wholeheartedly into God’s word and presence as we learn from him how to live the fruitful life he has appointed for us. In order to bear the fruit God has set before us we must abide in him. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit without the nutrients the vine provides, we cannot bear fruit without being connected to our only source of true life, our heavenly Father. God leads us into the plans he has for us as we spend time in his presence and his word. Psalm 1:1-3 says, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. It’s in God’s presence and word that we are molded, refined, and transformed. It’s only in spending time with him that we become nourished and ready to bear fruit. Just as a tree must be pruned in order to bear more fruit, we must allow God to tear away parts of our life that are keeping us from the good works he intends for us. We must spend time in God’s presence being fashioned, healed, and transformed. In order to bear the fruit God intends, we must learn to allow the Spirit to work in and through us. God not only transforms us as we spend time with him and his word, but empowers us through the Holy Spirit to do good works we could never accomplish in our own strength. It’s only through God working in us that our weaknesses are turned into strengths so we can truly love one another. And it’s only through the Spirit that hearts are changed and drawn to our heavenly Father. God longs to give you his heart for people. He longs to empower you to speak and work with his authority. He longs to do works through you that can’t be explained except by his reality. If you will choose to humble yourself before God and allow him to work in and through you, you will begin to bear the very fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. The disciples had no great gifts or power on their own. It was only by the working of the Holy Spirit that Christianity exploded in size and influence and changed the world. Co-labor with the Holy Spirit in all that you do. Allow him to move and work in every part of your life and experience all the incredible ways he desires to use you to bring the kingdom of God to earth. Spend time abiding in the true vine of God today. Open your heart and mind to his word. And allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how he desires to work in and through you. May the amazing plans God has for you bring peace, purpose, and joy to your life today.

The Prayer 1. Meditate on God’s desire to produce important and lasting fruit through your life. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 2. Spend time in God’s presence allowing him to nourish and empower you for good works. Ask him to reveal what he has set before you to accomplish for his kingdom today. Ask the Holy Spirit to work in and through you. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 3. Commit to following the leadership of the Holy Spirit today as he guides you to producing good fruit. Choose to love others as God has loved you. Choose to live a lifestyle of agreeing with the Holy Spirit in every way that he leads you.

How vast is God’s love for us that he would not only save us, redeem us, and set us free, but he desires to use us, a broken and needy people, to change the world. God desires to anoint his people with his Spirit to accomplish his work. May your life be marked by the wonderful and lasting fruit of a child of God surrendered to and in love with our heavenly Father. Extended Reading: Romans 8

CRAIG DENISON is the author and founder of First15, a daily devotional guiding tens of thousands of believers into a fresh experience with God's presence every day. He writes, speaks, and he and his wife, Rachel lead worship to help believers establish a more tangible, meaningful connection with God.