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Are you the kind of person who enjoys checking things off your to-do list? I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 ESV We spoke about abiding in yesterday's message. Look for it if you haven't heard it. Today, I want to concentrate on the phrase, "for apart from me, you can do nothing." What did Jesus mean? Certainly, he couldn't mean absolutely nothing. Apart from Jesus many things have been done. But I think he's talking about things that will matter forever. We can't bear any eternal fruit. We can't lay up any treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20) apart from Jesus, either. Are we just in this life for what we can get in this life? Or do we want to believe in something beyond this life? If you want to believe something beyond the years in this body, then Jesus is very clear. There is only one way to get to the next life with any choices. And when I consider this 2nd life that lasts forever, I can consider how by abiding Jesus I can do something. Apart from him I can do nothing. So I concentrate on Jesus and what he would have me do. Then I must trust that what I'm doing amounts to "something." Today, do you want to do "something?" Let's concentrate on Jesus and then trust him. If we can join him, know him, grow our trust in him, believe him, study him. If we can learn about him from our local church and from trusted teachers and friends who follow him, then we can expect we're doing something. Our life makes a difference. This is one of the reasons we say, what we do because we follow Jesus matters, forever. If you'd like to grow closer to Jesus and abide in him, get around his people. One place you can do that online is at https://community.FollowerofOne.org.
In the day-to-day, where are you focused? What do you pursue? "Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me." John 15:4 NASB What does it mean to abide? Some translations use the word "remain," or "stay." I think of resting, persisting, persevering, hanging on. To abide in Jesus means that I don't abandon him and try to do things my own way. No branch can bear fruit unless it is connected and drawing it's life from the vine. We're pretty powerful and wealthy. It's easy to believe that we have the power to do the things we want. But we can't make ourselves right with God. And I wonder what we miss because we do things on our own instead of trusting and waiting for Jesus. We even mentioned about focusing on Jesus yesterday, too. When we focus on him, he makes things work. I confess I even struggle with this from time to time. I want to trust him. I want to remain in him. I turn to him to make that happen. I don't have the power in and of myself. Trusting God is an active choice. I have to choose to abide or remain. Deep down, I know I can't do anything without him. However sometimes abiding in him takes a long time. I hope I can remember to stick to my pay grade. How long is God's problem. How much fruit is also his problem. What I have to do to be pruned, again, that's God's problem. My challenge is to remain. What would help you remain? For me, I'm a community person. I need people around me to help me abide, as well as friends who are also abiding and waiting on Jesus. If you need a community like that, check out a local church. Or, you can also connect with us at https://community.followerofone.org. Remember what we do because we follow Jesus matters, forever.
When a branch has been pruned, they say it was cleaned. Have you been cleaned by God recently? "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." John 15:3 NASB Jesus is speaking. The disciples and Jesus are walking (see John 14:31). We think they may have walked by a vine and Jesus started this analogy of the vine and the vinedresser. He's talking about pruning which we discussed in yesterday's episode. Today, Jesus tells the disciples that at this moment, they're clean. The fruit hasn't come yet. There's nothing to prune. What Jesus has told them has placed them in this state. When the word of God transforms us, we are clean. That's one way God prunes us. His word changes our behavior. Changing behavior isn't easy. left to ourselves, we drift. the the Bible, the Word of God, transforms us. It causes us to change our behavior. It causes us to re-think our practices. This is one way we're pruned. Some people feel that pruning is God taking away things we love. I think it means that God is both harvesting his fruit and planning for the future. He is the owner, the vinedresser. The fruit belongs to him. As a branch, my job is to remain or abide in the vine. I concentrate on the vine. The vinedresser focuses on the fruit. He does the pruning. Something in God's word may challenge me, but if I can concentrate on the vine, I live. When I focus on anything else, things don't go so well. What are you going to focus on today? Your circumstances are an opportunity to show others Jesus. Whatever you do, you can do it with all your will, focused on your Lord and God will bear fruit through you. Let's concentrated on Jesus' word and be transformed, cleaned and ready for the next work.
What does it mean to be "pruned?" It doesn't sound very pleasant. "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 Pruning is the act of removing leaves and branch tips and even budding flowers in order to make room for more. The way a vinedresser prunes, what they remove and what they leave, can direct the way the branches grow and how many blooms there are. Vine-dressing is a skill that is learned. It takes time and care. Jesus states that God prunes us. We're branches. The life of Jesus flowing through us produces fruit. When that fruit is ready, the vinedresser will cut it off. If he leaves it, it will just rot and nothing else will grow there either. Bearing fruit is the first step in pruning. We want to bear fruit, but we don't like the idea of being pruned. Jesus is giving us a fact of life. Pruning is necessary for us to reach our destiny. The reward outweighs the cost. We know this principle. We need a community of friends to help us remember this principle and live in it. That's why we created Follower of One, an online community for marketplace Christians. We want our faith to produce fruit every day. Why not join us at https://community.followerofone.org and watch God bear fruit through you, too?
Do you ever think about the fruit of your life? Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2 ESV Notice how both of these activities are painful. The vinedresser is God the Father. If we get life, God works to make sure we produce fruit. The life comes through the vine. Jesus is the vine. He is the source of life. And the life he gives lasts forever. But God also expects a return on this life. He expects it to bear fruit? Some people think the fruit is people coming to trust in Jesus. But I think the fruit is the outcome of our lives following Jesus. As we live following him, others see that we're different. For some, that is what God uses to save them. For others, God uses our obedience to him as a way to give him glory. Giving him glory means that we operate according to his will. One day, everyone will operate according to his will. Right now, while we live in the flesh, we have a chance to choose. And our choice matters. Today, let's choose to live like we believe God. Let's obey him and do what he says. When we do, even in small things, God uses that. He calls it bearing fruit. We believe we need one another to do this well. That's why we formed an online community. You can join us at https://community.followerofone.org and check it out.
What is your purpose? "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." John 15:1 Do you wonder about your purpose? Have you discovered your purpose? Based on this analogy, we bear fruit for the vinedresser. What does that mean to you? We spoke yesterday about how our life comes to us from the vine and Jesus says here that he is the true vine. Jews thought of Israel as the vine and Jesus upset that idea. God is the vinedresser. Think a bit about the vinedresser or gardener. The gardener is the one who chooses what is planted. If nothing grows, that's on the gardener. If there is a great harvest from the garden or the vine, the gardener gets the credit. He's the one doing the work. He's the one tending and pulling weeds and pruning and watering. The work is on the gardener or the vinedresser and the outcome is his. So where does our purpose come from? It doesn't come from inside of us at all. It comes from the outside. You were created for a purpose by a Creator. Notice how he is doing the work and he gets the results. I'm so money focused. As I enter my 4th quarter, I confess that I worry about money, how much things cost and whether or not Vicky and I will have enough. But if God is the vinedresser, and the fruit isn't money, then what am I obsessing about? He says all throughout scripture, even later in this chapter, that he will provide. That makes me free to make a difference. I'm not free to not earn. I'm not free to consume more than I produce. We live in a free market world. But I'm in control of less than I think in the overall scheme of things. My purpose came from God. Today, let's focus our life on God. What can we do for our family and the people we interact with today. Jesus came to serve others. Do you want to work on this more? Join our online community at www.FollowerOfOne.org
In this podcast conversation between Mike Henry and Todd Melby, Todd shares insights about his work at Leadership Edge, a Christian nonprofit focused on leadership development through one-on-one mentoring. Here are the key points discussed:
Introduction to Leadership Edge: [01:00] Todd introduces Leadership Edge as a 30-year-old nonprofit dedicated to developing leaders of integrity through personalized mentoring. The organization's focus is on helping young people understand and embody leadership integrity in all aspects of life.
Getting Connected with Leadership Edge:[02:09] Todd shares how he became involved with Leadership Edge when he was seeking guidance on living a faithful life in various areas. A mentor suggested that Todd become a mentor himself, leading him to engage with the organization.
Mentoring Range: [04:44] Todd explains that Leadership Edge mentors a wide range of individuals based on their readiness for intentional developmental relationships. While the typical age range is 20 to 35, mentees can be as young as 17 or as old as 55.
Personal Faith Journey:[06:01] Todd reflects on his Christian journey, emphasizing that his faith developed over time rather than through a single moment. He describes the progression from a good family upbringing to a deeper understanding of walking with Jesus in his thirties.
First Mentoring Experience: [21:35] Todd shares his initial mentoring experience, acknowledging that he didn't invest enough intentionality into the relationship. He later learned to approach mentoring more effectively, with success measured by the growth and positive decisions of his mentees.
Continuous Friendships: A key aspect of Leadership Edge's approach is maintaining friendships even after formal mentoring relationships conclude. This ensures ongoing support and connection.
Success Stories: [20:40]Todd highlights success stories where individuals faced challenges and turned to the principles learned through Leadership Edge for guidance. One example is overcoming marital difficulties through open communication and faith.
Mentor Training: [26:47] Todd discusses the rigorous mentor training provided by Leadership Edge, covering theology of leadership and mentoring, helping mentors effectively guide their mentees.
Impactful Stories: Todd shares a story of a young man who found faith in college and later grew into an influential leader with the support of Leadership Edge, showcasing the organization's positive impact.
Future Plans:[26:47] Todd mentions Leadership Edge's plans to expand by working with executive leadership teams in churches. The organization aims to mentor youth pastors to establish leadership development programs and provide resources for effective mentoring.
Encouragement for Difficult Times: Todd concludes by encouraging listeners to maintain their focus on the Lord even in chaotic times, emphasizing that God's control can lead to miraculous outcomes.
Connect with Todd on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddmelby/)
Connect with Leadership Edge
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-edge-inc
Website: https://lead-edge.com
Connect with Follower of One:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/followerofone1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followerofone
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/follower-of-one
Community: https://community.followerofone.org
Do you ever think deeply about where your life came from? "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser." John 15:1 ESV Think about all the things leading up to today that you had no say in. You didn't get to choose to come to life - the day, the time, the parents, nationality, skin color, height. Our life comes from someone or somewhere else. Jesus makes the vine analogy. He and the disciples had left the room where they had the last supper (see John 14:31). Jesus is saying this as they walk. I imagine they walked past a vine of some kind. Also, Israel was considered a vine in the old testament. Jesus is establishing a new idea. Jesus is the vine. Life comes from him. Let's focus on that today. The vine is life. Have you ever thought about life? It came from outside of you. God, the vine dresser, gave you life. If all life comes from Jesus, which he seems to suggest here, people who don't want anything to do with him will eventually be thrown off and burned up. If Jesus is the life, and that life is in us, we have a job to do: live. By living connected to Jesus, we help others see the benefits and joy of living connected to him. We're always loved. We're forgiven. We have a heavenly father who is always working for good. So how does Jesus show up in your life today? What can you do to make him visible? Why not ask him for some direction? Our first daily activity on the Marketplace Mission Trip is to pray and we're starting one of those today. Ask Jesus to show you what he would have you do today. Step two: do it! Let's spend a few days talking about the remainder of John 15 and see where Jesus takes us. In the meantime, ask God what he would have you do today and then do it.
Welcome back to the Follower of One podcast. I'm Mike Henry Sr., thanks for listening. Today we want to finish our three episodes on thankfulness. If you hear this on the air date, it's the Friday after the U.S. holiday for Thanksgiving. And today I want to cover the verse in Ephesians 5:20 from the ESV, it says, "giving thanks always and for everything to God, the Father in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ." Notice how the author words, this. This goes all the way back to verse 18. Paul seems to be saying that giving thanks for all things as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. We're thankful in the name of Jesus. I think of "in the name of" as being something like me saying, I want to express my gratitude on behalf of myself and my family. I'm sharing the gratitude that my family has. I want to share the gratitude that Jesus had. Jesus wasn't happy about having to go to the cross, but I believe he was grateful. We're hearing here that he was thankful, and he saved us and he was thankful that he had the opportunity to do that. I never thought about that a whole lot until I was thinking about being thankful. It's easy for us to think about being thankful. But what about being thankful for those hard things and being thankful to God, even in the middle of them. In this passage, we see that the Holy Spirit fills us, and we become grateful with the gratitude of Jesus. We're thankful to God, the Father. The entire Trinity is involved. Today, let's remember which camp we're in. The holy spirit fills us. Therefore, we belong to Jesus, and we experience his gratitude. Even the negative things that happened to us will be used by God. Therefore, we can join in Jesus's gratitude to God, the Father. The end of everything is good for those who love God and who are called according to his purpose, it says in Romans 8:28. Let's keep the gratitude going. Let's remember what God has done for us and let that memory make us grateful so that others notice. I hope that your gratitude causes others to ask you, "Hey, what's different? What's going on?" And then you'll get an opportunity to speak for yourself to talk about how Jesus transformed you. That's what we talk about in Follower of One. We want to live our faith in such a way that others question what's going on in our lives. And we get to share with them a little bit about how Jesus has changed us. Thanks very much.
Hey, welcome back to the Follower of One podcast. I'm your host, Mike Henry Sr. and I'm glad to be here. If you're in the U.S. and hearing this on-air date, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm recording this message to be aired on Thanksgiving Day. And today our passage is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." That's from the New American Standard. In everything we want to give thanks. We're talking now about expressing gratitude to God. We talked about expressing gratitude to others a little bit yesterday as well but expressing gratitude to God is worship. And here Paul is exhorting us to give thanks to God for everything that happens "for this," and that word, "this" is not specific. Whatever's happening in our lives. What's going on in our lives. It's the will of God, for us. Notice that we give thanks in everything. When good things happen, it's easy to give thanks. But when not-so-good things happen. Well, that's a different story. At least it is for me, I'm quick to complain when the not-so-good things happen. If I can break that habit and be grateful when those not-so-good things happen, I demonstrate my faith. Others will be prompted to ask because I'm acting so differently than I typically do. Then I get an opportunity to explain how Jesus is the source of my ability to respond to everything with gratitude. Today, it's easy to think about being grateful, but I hope you can. Some days, some holidays are difficult for some of us as well. But I want to encourage each of us to express our gratitude to God today, for whatever our circumstances are. Because of this grateful life puts us in touch with God. It's the avenue to receiving his peace and his joy, even in difficult circumstances. I hope that we can live as a way where others can see us as grateful to God and then they can know that he is the source of the good he's the source of the not-so-good too, but he makes everything right. I want to challenge us today. Enjoy your day, wherever you are. I pray that you have a great holiday or a great workday if you're working in another country. But ask God to help you be more genuine in your gratitude to him, even in the things that you don't appreciate. He will do that. He will help us to be more grateful because it glorifies him. Life is hard and we broke the world as humans. But God gives us the ability to cling to him, partly through being thankful and being grateful. We get to join him and experience his joy. Thank you for being a marketplace minister and thank you for making a difference with your faith. I pray that you have a great day and that you make a difference in the lives of others today. Thank you very much.
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