I am the true vine, and my father is the vinedresser
"I am the true vine" we are always attached to a vine whether we realize it or not. a vine is anything that supplies us with our daily strength or just strength in general. for example... music! we can feed off music (or at least I can) and through that get emotions out of that "vine" but what kind of music is actually feeding me? is it music that is glorifying to God? music isn't bad, but what kind of fruit is it bearing? there is one true vine and that is Jesus. if I stay in Jesus then that's were I'll get all of my strength, I will feed off him and that vine allows me to bear much fruit!
the vinedresser not only prunes the branches that aren't bearing fruit, but he also helps the rest of it grow! he helps us bear more fruit when we are in the vine
my application
tonight I will spend an hour and a half in the word so I get deeper into the vine
Sunday, February 24, 2013
1 corinthians 13:8
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
love is the only thing that will never fail us! love in God NEVER fails! he will never let you down! he's faithful in all things whether we see that or not! all other things will fail us in one way or another! but not God! God is love. love never fails. God never fails.
application
tomorrow night I will share with a friend that I don't normally talk to about the love that God is
love is the only thing that will never fail us! love in God NEVER fails! he will never let you down! he's faithful in all things whether we see that or not! all other things will fail us in one way or another! but not God! God is love. love never fails. God never fails.
application
tomorrow night I will share with a friend that I don't normally talk to about the love that God is
1 corinthians 13:7
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
all, all, all and umm... ALL!! love takes all things and bears them! it believes! it ENDURES! it doesn't matter what somebody does to you, you always have hope in them because you love them! we always have that faith in them! often times I have a problem with allowing myself to believe in people that have let me down before, but here it says that love believes all things! how am I supposed to truly love somebody when I can't allow myself to believe in somebody that has let me down?! by giving it to God and hoping the best of that person!
application
tonight I will spend time in prayer asking God to help me in this area and praying for people that have let me down in the past
all, all, all and umm... ALL!! love takes all things and bears them! it believes! it ENDURES! it doesn't matter what somebody does to you, you always have hope in them because you love them! we always have that faith in them! often times I have a problem with allowing myself to believe in people that have let me down before, but here it says that love believes all things! how am I supposed to truly love somebody when I can't allow myself to believe in somebody that has let me down?! by giving it to God and hoping the best of that person!
application
tonight I will spend time in prayer asking God to help me in this area and praying for people that have let me down in the past
1 Corinthians 13:6
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth
love is a very strong emotion, the strongest in my opinion. love does not find joy in wrong doing, love finds joy in the opposite which is the truth. what is the truth? Jesus is the truth, so what does this mean to me? that indeed I rejoice most when I am loving Jesus Christ.
application
tonight I will look for prophecy about Jesus for an hour and a half
love is a very strong emotion, the strongest in my opinion. love does not find joy in wrong doing, love finds joy in the opposite which is the truth. what is the truth? Jesus is the truth, so what does this mean to me? that indeed I rejoice most when I am loving Jesus Christ.
application
tonight I will look for prophecy about Jesus for an hour and a half
1 Corinthians 13:5
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil
this verse to me is summed up in "does not seek it's own". love is not about self! by not thinking of self, we end up not behaving rudely, we end up not thinking evil towards others and it's something that doesn't need to be thought up/provoked! it's something that happens! this verse hits me kinda hard because often I forget what love is and I behave rudely towards somebody that I so call "love"! but right here it says that love does NOT behave rudely! and that's something I really need to work on!
application
tomorrow at breakfast I will pull somebody aside and pray with/for them
this verse to me is summed up in "does not seek it's own". love is not about self! by not thinking of self, we end up not behaving rudely, we end up not thinking evil towards others and it's something that doesn't need to be thought up/provoked! it's something that happens! this verse hits me kinda hard because often I forget what love is and I behave rudely towards somebody that I so call "love"! but right here it says that love does NOT behave rudely! and that's something I really need to work on!
application
tomorrow at breakfast I will pull somebody aside and pray with/for them
1 corinthians 13:4
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
suffers long! when loving somebody it doesn't say it's going to be short and sweet! it says it SUFFERS LONG! when loving somebody we (I) need to love them through LONG suffering! not just the good times ! there's so much to this verse but that is the main point that I got out of it! loving somebody doesn't matter about the time or how my feelings are towards them! it suffers long. nuff said.
application
tomorrow I will go out of my way to check in with a team member that I don't normally talk to and ask them what the Lord is showing them
suffers long! when loving somebody it doesn't say it's going to be short and sweet! it says it SUFFERS LONG! when loving somebody we (I) need to love them through LONG suffering! not just the good times ! there's so much to this verse but that is the main point that I got out of it! loving somebody doesn't matter about the time or how my feelings are towards them! it suffers long. nuff said.
application
tomorrow I will go out of my way to check in with a team member that I don't normally talk to and ask them what the Lord is showing them
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Acts 3:9
and all the people saw him walking and praising God
a incredible miracle has just been done in this man and because they were able to see him walking and PRAISING God, they were amazed! how often does God do amazing things in our lives and we just let it go and not really tell anybody? I know I find God doing incredible things in my life, but I hardly tell anybody unless it's something "I" find necessary to say! the people were amazed because this mans testimony and his actions! he didn't hide it from anybody, he didn't just go back home and lay low for awhile! he went where everybody was and praised God! why can't I be more like this man when God does something in my life? answer. there's no reason. at all. I need to realize that I take way too many things for granted! so I didn't lose my arm and God grew me another one! I woke up this morning with another breath in my lungs, do I go around rejoicing in that? nope. but instead I get caught up in daily things that I need to accomplish, classes, cleaning and so on and so forth! God has given me another day, I don't know what that day may hold and I especially don't know what tomorrow brings! maybe obstacles, maybe blessings (well for sure blessings) but if I wake up in the morning with a breath in my lungs... that's another blessing from God and I will cry out to him to allow me to see it that way
my application
today and every day this week I will open up to somebody about something that God has been showing me and another unique blessing that he's given me
a incredible miracle has just been done in this man and because they were able to see him walking and PRAISING God, they were amazed! how often does God do amazing things in our lives and we just let it go and not really tell anybody? I know I find God doing incredible things in my life, but I hardly tell anybody unless it's something "I" find necessary to say! the people were amazed because this mans testimony and his actions! he didn't hide it from anybody, he didn't just go back home and lay low for awhile! he went where everybody was and praised God! why can't I be more like this man when God does something in my life? answer. there's no reason. at all. I need to realize that I take way too many things for granted! so I didn't lose my arm and God grew me another one! I woke up this morning with another breath in my lungs, do I go around rejoicing in that? nope. but instead I get caught up in daily things that I need to accomplish, classes, cleaning and so on and so forth! God has given me another day, I don't know what that day may hold and I especially don't know what tomorrow brings! maybe obstacles, maybe blessings (well for sure blessings) but if I wake up in the morning with a breath in my lungs... that's another blessing from God and I will cry out to him to allow me to see it that way
my application
today and every day this week I will open up to somebody about something that God has been showing me and another unique blessing that he's given me
Acts 3:8
so he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--- walking, leaping, and praising God.
this is a cool verse because even though I wasn't there (it was slightly before my time) it makes me excited for this man, because people like him were not allowed into the temple because back then they thought these people were unclean! so just picture this man who has not only been a crippled man his whole life, but he also had never been in the temple to pray and worship God! imagine this day in his shoes! not only have you just been healed, but now you also get to go in and worship God!!!! just think about being sick for two months and not being allowed to go to church and enjoy worship! don't you get excited when you finally get to go!? well this man had NEVER been allowed to, but now not only is he completely healed, but he also gets to go in and worship!! Praise God!
my application
today I will be overjoyed about everything that happens because I get to worship my God!
this is a cool verse because even though I wasn't there (it was slightly before my time) it makes me excited for this man, because people like him were not allowed into the temple because back then they thought these people were unclean! so just picture this man who has not only been a crippled man his whole life, but he also had never been in the temple to pray and worship God! imagine this day in his shoes! not only have you just been healed, but now you also get to go in and worship God!!!! just think about being sick for two months and not being allowed to go to church and enjoy worship! don't you get excited when you finally get to go!? well this man had NEVER been allowed to, but now not only is he completely healed, but he also gets to go in and worship!! Praise God!
my application
today I will be overjoyed about everything that happens because I get to worship my God!
Acts 3:7
and he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength
it says in verse 2 of this chapter that this man was crippled from birth, this wasn't just a sprained ankle or something that would heal over time! this was something that was never going away on his own power! but in the power of the name of Jesus he was healed! to me this is a perfect example of our sin. we can't fix sin in our own power! in and of ourselves we will just continue to go back to sin because that's our nature and even if we wanted to stop, we have no power! we have to go to Jesus for him to give us the strength that we need to stop! and through him, we are healed of it!
my application
today I will get three people and ask them to keep me accountable and to pray for me
it says in verse 2 of this chapter that this man was crippled from birth, this wasn't just a sprained ankle or something that would heal over time! this was something that was never going away on his own power! but in the power of the name of Jesus he was healed! to me this is a perfect example of our sin. we can't fix sin in our own power! in and of ourselves we will just continue to go back to sin because that's our nature and even if we wanted to stop, we have no power! we have to go to Jesus for him to give us the strength that we need to stop! and through him, we are healed of it!
my application
today I will get three people and ask them to keep me accountable and to pray for me
Acts 3:6
then Peter said, "silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk
here Peter and John are about to walk into the temple when a crippled man asks Peter and John for money, but Peter tells him that he doesn't have any money, but that he does have what he actually needs and that is Jesus! I think this verse almost shows us something about ourselves! often times we think we know what we need, just like this crippled man thought he needed money, but money never lasts! Peter knew that even if he did give him money, that wouldn't solve the problem! often times I find myself asking God for the easy way out, but he knows what I actually need!
my application
this week I will endure and not take the easy way out
here Peter and John are about to walk into the temple when a crippled man asks Peter and John for money, but Peter tells him that he doesn't have any money, but that he does have what he actually needs and that is Jesus! I think this verse almost shows us something about ourselves! often times we think we know what we need, just like this crippled man thought he needed money, but money never lasts! Peter knew that even if he did give him money, that wouldn't solve the problem! often times I find myself asking God for the easy way out, but he knows what I actually need!
my application
this week I will endure and not take the easy way out
Friday, February 1, 2013
1 Corinthians 12:11
but one and the same spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually accordingly as he wills
when you listen to somebody get up and give a message that floors you or you watch somebody give away something that they need/wanted or when you watch somebody give up their own time to serve somebody else or when you see somebody give wisdom filled advice... do you ever wonder how they did it? those are all examples of just a few of spiritual gifts that God can give us! but those gifts that you see in other people aren't just for themselves or for their glory, but for the better of others! and not only do others have amazing gifts, but so do we!
it's cools to think that all the gifts that are around us (that others have) are all from the exact same place! and it's not random! everybody has the gift they have because God wanted them to have it and it's for his glory! each gift was given to that person because God wanted them to have it.
my application
pull aside one person (that is not my prayer partner) everyday and pray with/for them
when you listen to somebody get up and give a message that floors you or you watch somebody give away something that they need/wanted or when you watch somebody give up their own time to serve somebody else or when you see somebody give wisdom filled advice... do you ever wonder how they did it? those are all examples of just a few of spiritual gifts that God can give us! but those gifts that you see in other people aren't just for themselves or for their glory, but for the better of others! and not only do others have amazing gifts, but so do we!
it's cools to think that all the gifts that are around us (that others have) are all from the exact same place! and it's not random! everybody has the gift they have because God wanted them to have it and it's for his glory! each gift was given to that person because God wanted them to have it.
my application
pull aside one person (that is not my prayer partner) everyday and pray with/for them
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)