Wednesday, January 7: John 15- Vine and branches.

When I opened and saw I was reading John 15 my heart lit up. The vine and branches teaching lit my heart. It is a deep passage and never ceases to deliver devotional insights and treasures. And it did today…

I latched onto verses 16-17: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

My immediate thought was to parse the opening sentence. (That may not be your normal first step in meditation but it works for me.)

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you

so that you might go and bear fruit… and

so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

This is my command: Love each other.

I (and all Christ followers) have been chosen by Jesus and appointed by Jesus to bear fruit and to receive from the Father whatever we ask for.

As I thought about this, the bearing fruit and asking for what we need are grammatically parallel. I pondered this…

It seems that God is inviting us to ask for whatever we need to bear fruit –fruit that will last.

What is it I (you) need to bear fruit that will last, to bring the nations to Jesus, to battle the injustice in the world in Jesus’ name, to love each other? These, it seems to me, are exactly what God, the Father, is waiting to give to us when we ask.

Ask for the nations…

Ask for love to love others…

Ask for courage and wisdom to bring down strongholds of injustice and to flood this world with mercy.

What an invitation…

What does the Lord require of us? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8 paraphrase). Lord, grace me with strength to ‘hate evil, love good and maintain justice’ (Amos 5:15 paraphrase). Help me, Lord, to live this way everyday You give me this side of eternity! Amen.