Category: Devotions

Sacrifices

 

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."  John 19:30

 

How do you tell the person you love that you are willing to do anything in the world for them?  That you are there for them through thick and thin.  That you can carry their load, and relieve their pains. (Matthew 11:28)  That you only want to love them with all your heart, and pray that they love others the same way. (Matthew 19:19)  That they go forth and tell others about your love, and preach the good news, the way to salvation and righteousness. (Acts 8:25)

 

You die for them. "he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." Philippians 2:8 Like a lamb ready for slaughter, He died. When they did not hear anything, believe anything, receive anything, they receive that you and others were willing to deliver that message to them.  They see that you loved them more than life itself, and that you died so that they might live.  They see that others were willing to die because of you and your love.  They see how they were willing to live in dire and destitute situations in order to spread the good news of salvation.  For through Him, we are all now redeemed and the sons and daughters of the Father. 'When the centurion who stood facing Jesus saw how he had cried out and breathed his last, he said, "This man certainly was the Son of God!"' Mark 15:39 Then, hopefully, they love you back.

 

Love God, and love Christ.

 

"And see a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.  1 Peter 2:24

 

Merry CHRISTmas!

Cutting off the Dead Part 

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”  John 15:2 

Have you ever noticed if you prune the dead leaves off of a plant how much it grows and blossoms?  Or for you ladies, if you cut your hair (for maintenance) how it seems to grow much faster?  Even in diabetic patients that have to have an appendage amputated, how they seem to do much better physically after the part that has died is gone?  I know that ever since I have been on a “search and destroy” mission for my split ends how much faster my hair grows. 

Death, or in this case, negativity infects everything it touches. It starts at one point and then it spreads. Like cancer if untreated, it spreads to the next most vulnerable spot.  Split ends in hair can eventually cause baldness if ignored. So imagine what happens if you are spiritually dead and ignore your need for God. If you are not nourishing your heart and soul, if you do not know Jesus and love Him, do you really want to know what the consequences are?  Do you really want to know what kinds of social, physical, financial, moral, and spiritual ills you leave yourself to become a victim to? You cannot be physically well without being spiritually well too. We were made to be fruitful—to blossom and produce good fruit—in particular here the good fruits of the spirit. (Genesis 1:28)  We are also to allow our seeds to be shared with others (the Word of God), thus planting good fruit in them and continuing the cycle. 

Jesus says above that the dead parts—the parts that don’t produce fruit are cut off, taken away.  And even those that produce fruit are pruned—perfected—in order to bear more fruit.  But in the very next verse Jesus says that by receiving His message, we have been pruned.  “You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.”  John 15:2   But it does not end there:  we must stay alive—stay spiritually well by continuing to seek Him and abide in Him.  So stay alive, keep allowing God to prune you, and grow you for His divine purpose. 

"Abide in me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch cannot produce 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. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Unless a person abides in me, he is thrown away like a pruned branch and dries up. People gather such branches, throw them into a fire, and they are burned up. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you will receive it. This is how my Father is glorified, when you produce a lot of fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”  John 15:4-8