"Who I Am in Christ" John 15 - January 3, 2023

Read Here: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/111/JHN.15.NIV . John 15:9-17, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 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. We are trying something new with the Daily SOAPs this month. Rather than reading a book of the Bible straight through, we are going to do some topical studies. Our first topic is Who I Am in Christ. This seemed like a great way to start the new year. Every day, we will read through a chapter, reflect on a portion of the verses, and then specifically gear the devotional piece to the topic at hand. I hope this is a blessing for you! Who I Am in Christ: We are loved by God. Not just a little bit loved, but the love of Jesus Christ is expansive and wide, self-sacrificing and extravagant. The words of Jesus in this text urge us to remain in God’s love. It’s only when we remain in Jesus, abide in him, that we have complete joy and can be a true friend to Jesus. How do we remain in God’s love? God’s love is a firm foundation, never moving or changing. We, on the other hand, drift all over the place! To remain in Jesus’ love, we have to make an intentional effort to keep our connection with him strong. We must pray, read Scripture, and make a special effort to listen and obey. My experience has been that the more I seek Jesus, the more I feel surrounded by his presence and love. There have certainly been times throughout my life in which I’ve gotten busy, distracted, and selfish. I’ve worshiped superficially. I am still loved in those times, but I bear less fruit and I begin to feel dry and detached. It’s only when I am being deliberate about staying connected to Jesus that I feel complete, fulfilled, and productive for the Kingdom. It’s then that I experience the presence of Jesus in a profound way and truly feel the love that God intends me to feel. In Christ, we are loved and we are chosen. We were designed to be in relationship with a loving God who has been seeking us and pursuing us. Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Thank you for loving us so much. Help us know that in you, we can be assured of your never-ending, extravagant love. In Your Name, Amen. . We hope you have a blessed Christmas! We invite you to worship with us this Christmas Eve at one of our Worship services, Saturday, December 24th at 3, 5, or 7 pm, in-person or online at https://www.findnewhope.com And Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25th in English or Spanish at 11 am in-person or online. Go to findnewhope.com to plan your visit! Our staff and leadership employ what's called the “S.O.A.P. Method”. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Each day, we read one or two chapters of Scripture and focus on one particular verse. We make some observations about how that verse touches us, discern how it applies to our lives, and offer a prayer related to what we have read. - Rev. Dr. Vicki Harrison -- Donate via PayPal to support the podcasts and the Technical Arts Ministry of New Hope! https://goo.gl/o2a9oU Subscribe at: http://www.findnewhope.com/soap (813) 689-4161 keywords: devotional, bible study