Good day
Towards the end of this series we looked at John 15:1-8 and I mentioned that to abide means to stay connected, remain, dwell, continue in Him - to be in relationship with Him; and that as long as we (as the branch), stay in relationship, remain connected, dwell and continue in Him (the vine), we will bear fruit (shine our light).
We then looked at the question, "So what does the quality of my abiding look like, or what does the quality of my relationship with God look like?" We also looked at relating to God as our Heavenly Father; Staying connected/Staying on the journey and reflecting on how much this relationship means to us.
Today I'd like to conclude this section on abiding in the Vine by sharing a series that was done last year titled, "Quality Time". Please see below summary:
The Sacrifice of Jesus:
"There's nothing God can ask of us that can match/beat what He's already done for us! Let us consider the sacrifice Jesus has made and be challenged and encouraged to offer our lives to Him as He so freely offered up His life for us"
Quality Time - Part 1:
"If meditation means to "reflect, contemplate, think, utter, vocalize, consider, study, deliberate", etc. then I have to ask myself, what does the quality of that meditation look like? Or what does the quality of my time spent with God look like ... and am I happy with it?"
Quality Time - Part 2:
"8 practical things we can do to improve on this"
Regret - Part 3:
"Let's say your future self could return to the past and they appeared to you today, what would they say to you? What advice or encouragement would they give you? What would they tell you to stop doing, start doing and keep doing?"
Ambition - Part 4:
"One way to answer the above is to ask ourselves, "what are my ambitions?" (or vision). If we can establish what our ambitions are, it makes it easier for us to recognise what we'd need to adjust now in order to ensure that we're on track with accomplishing what we've/God has set for us"
Current Experience - Part 5:
"If you're not happy with your current experiences today in light of the things you'd like to see changed in your life, whether based on learning from past mistakes (regret) or as a result of reflecting on your ambitions and realising that you're not on track like you should be, then make the necessary adjustments to ensure that you have the future you want to have - the future and destiny God has called you to - the destiny He died on the cross for you to have! - the destiny you'll be eternally rewarded for - the destiny that reflects a life of gratitude for all that He is to you ...
Be the actor in your life, not the audience" ... "It's better to fail trying to fly than to sit in the nest and die" ... "The bad news is, time flies. The good news is, you're the pilot!" ... What would you like to change about your current experience? Because you have the power to make a choice that can alter your current reality and ultimately your future"
The above messages are covered in more detail and I'd encourage you to view them on the below link:
I believe that this series ties in nicely with what we've been covering on abiding in the Vine and next time we'll be finishing off with a recap, as well as looking at the most important commandment.
May you have a blessed day further!