Abide by Jessie Holmes

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, 
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 
– John 15:4-5

What does/should my relationship with Jesus look like? Jesus is not some far off distant being sitting on a throne looking at us. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross, who rose again from the dead, and the vine with which we must be connected. We need Him. We can’t do anything without Him. We are empty, lost, confused, and useless without Jesus. Therefore, our relationship with Him should be defined by one word: Abide.

Do you get what Jesus is saying? Jesus is proclaiming that He desires an intimate and personal relationship with us. He wants us to abide in Him! This is more than a quick quiet time or prayer every once and a while. Jesus is describing a relationship where we are dwelling in Him. Why? Because we need Him. We can’t do anything without Him. He is our all in all and in Him we live.

This type of relationship is what we should not only desire, but grow towards. It’s a process. Our time with Jesus should be a time we long for. We are called to abide IN Him. So, dwell in Him. This may look different for you than it does for me, but the results will be the same. Let your personal relationship with the Father always be on the forefront of your mind. Let His word and love be the things that strengthen, motivate, and rule your heart. When we are truly abiding in Christ, the results of that relationship will be knowledge of the Truth, fruit, love, freedom from sin, and conformity to His image.

Matthew 6:24 by Jessie Holmes

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

-Matthew 6:24

Who is your master? Everyone is serving a master. Jesus in this verse mentions two of them: God and money (possessions). Servant and master are in no way the same as an employer and employee.  A slave or a servant was the property of only one Master. This slave or servant was in total submission to that master and committed their life to servitude under his authority. The servant who makes money and possessions their master is committing to a life of greed, discontentment, emptiness, and selfishness. We can look at the world and see how fleeting money and possessions can be. The things of the world are not constant, reliable, or provide joy. This master runs his servant until the only thing left is brokenness. This is the master that we see so many serving.

There is however another Master who is worthy of the title. He created the heavens and the earth. He sustains all things and controls all things. He is just, righteous, and faithful. A life committed to Him may not be easy, but that servant will find joy, purpose, fulfillment, and hope. God is the master I am describing and He selfishly wants the whole heart. He will not share. In reality it is impossible to seek the things of God and the things of the world. Both are going in two opposite directions. Much like Highlander, there can only be one.

So here’s the punch line: Our lives reflect whom we are serving. People around us will see, because both masters produce fruit in our lives. The question is, which master is worthy of our time, attention, devotion, and commitment. Take some time today and look at your week. Look at how you have spent each of your days and ask yourself this question: Who am I serving?   

Matthew 6:7-8 by Jessie Holmes

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” – Matthew 6:7-8

As Jesus continues to teach about the Kingdom of God, He now addresses prayer. For those of us who live in the Kingdom of God, we don’t pray for the attention of others or using empty phrases trying to be heard. Jesus shares why with one statement: “YOUR Father KNOWS what you need before you ask Him.” In this statement, Jesus proclaims two truths.

First, the God that we are praying to is also OUR Father.  The focus of our prayers isn’t someone far off and unknown to us. We pray to our Father.  This understanding of our relationship with God implies that we aren’t just talking to some mystical being. When we pray, we communicate and commune with the creator of the universe who has an intimate relationship with us. He loves and cares about us, because we are His children and He is our Father.

Second, God already knows what is going on. When we pray, we are not informing our Father of anything He is not already aware of. This means that God, our Father, knows each of us intimately. He sees our pains, our needs, our brokenness, and makes Himself available for us to talk to. What an awesome Father!  

He knows us personally, loves us immensely, and has made Himself available to talk.

Have you talked to our Father today?Father, thank you for hearing and knowing the concerns of our hearts.

Acts 4:5-13 by Jessie Holmes

On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.  And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:5-13

Acts chapter 4 tells the story of Peter and John as they are standing before a council of rulers, elders, scribes, and the high priest. They found themselves here because they were causing a commotion in the temple by healing and teaching in the name of Jesus. As the council begins to get to the bottom of the situation they ask a profound question, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”  At that moment Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and began proclaiming Jesus Christ as the one through whom salvation has come for all people. How does the council respond to this short and powerful testimony? “They recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

What a powerful statement! The question now is, what do people recognize in us? If we are truly Christ led disciples, then those around us should recognize that. Not because of our great biblical knowledge or the vast number of church events we go to, but simply because of how we serve, love, and obey Jesus’ commands.  

You may be thinking, “I am only human, I can’t be like Jesus!” Well you’re right. YOU can’t serve, love, and obey Jesus even on your best day! But, we aren’t in this alone. Did you notice where the boldness of Peter came from? The Holy Spirit! We have what we need dwelling on the inside. All we have to do is Abide in Christ Jesus and trust His Spirit and He will empower us to do the rest.  

Father, help us to look more like your Son every day so that your name is made known among the nations.