Scripture Lesson: John 15:7
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Meditation
Today we will continue in what is believed to be one of Jesus last discourse with his disciples. As we have seen in John chapter 14, Jesus tells us about a prepared place, the promise of the Holy Spirit and the greater works that He expects us to do. In chapter 15, Jesus explains how we will be able to accomplish all that is set before us. We must abide in Him and His words must abide in us.
Jesus begins this explanation with the illustration of a vine. He tells us that He is the vine and that His father is the gardener. As the gardener, God wants us to be fruitful. That which is not fruitful is removed. That which is fruitful is purged so that it will bear more fruit.
We then arrive at our promise for today. It is another “blank check” statement that appears to be on a totally different level than any that we have seen before. As Christians, we have always been taught that it is God’s will that is important, not our will. And this is of course is backed up with a number of scriptures, including Jesus crying out in the garden of Gethsemane, “not my will, but thy will be done”. But here we see something that many of us have never seen before. Jesus says that you can ask what you will, and it shall be done.
There must be some mistake here. It was bad enough when He used words such as “whosoever” and “whatsoever”. Now it appears that He is saying our will matters; that our desires count? What’s the catch?
Well this time it does appear to be a catch. If we abide in Him and His Word abides in us, then we can stand on this promise. The more we abide in His word, the more our will and desires will line up with His. The more we abide in Jesus and in His Word, the more fruitful we will be. We are told in verse 8 that it is through our fruitfulness we glorify God.
So today I challenge you. Do not allow the enemy of the Word to focus you on how the words Jesus spoke can’t be true. If you allow the seed of doubt concerning the words Jesus spoke to be planted and nurtured in your mind, it will grow and you will begin to doubt other words spoken by Jesus. Remember how the serpent tricked Eve regarding the words God spoke. If these promises seem just too far out there for you, do not be under condemnation. Ask God to give you wisdom and revelation. Focus your attention on abiding in Christ and His Word. Spend time in prayer, meditation, worship and study, not just reading God’s Word.
Affirmations
I desire to be fruitful for the Lord. I will diligently seek God and abide in His Word. I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that as I abide in Jesus and His word, I can ask what I will, and it shall be done unto me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Tags: bible devotions, Bible promises, Christian devotionals, Christian devotions, daily bible devotional, daily devotional, online devotions
