Check out all the previous Unstoppable readings here.
Unstoppable Reading Plan | Week 2 | Day 5
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Ask Him to teach you through His word today.
Bible Reading: John 15:1-17
Read these verses three times slowly.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“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.
Reflection & Questions
We’ve seen this week there are many things that can derail us on our mission. Our feelings of inadequacy, our fears, critics, and distractions. Today, we look at one final the pitfall. The pitfall of letting the work of God get in the way of our walk with God. You might call it the pitfall of “I got this”.
As Jesus is teaching his followers in John 15, His concern is that they understand that his mission takes a different approach than any other mission they’ve heard of before. The fact is that they cannot do the mission — on their own. They might have tackled projects at work, they might have scaled a mountain or some other kind of feat in their own power. But this mission. This one is different. “Apart from me you can do nothing,” he tells them. Read that again. Nothing. Zilch. But, if they “remain in him,” if they learn to walk in the presence of God, they will be blown away by what God does through them.
The problem is that in our pride, we can start to think, “we got this.” We can become so entranced with doing the work of God, that we neglect our relationship with the very One we serve. This kind of pride sneaks up on us. “I don’t have time to pray or read the Bible today.” “I’ve been in this situation before – I don’t need to stop and pray.” However, before we know it, we find ourselves in a pit. Whether it is burnout. Or painful mistakes. Or simply we’ve lost passion for the mission. Jesus says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Joy is lost when we lose Him.
As a fish is designed for water, we are designed to live, to be on mission, empowered by the Spirit. Let’s be Spirit-empowered agents in the great mission of God!
- What words and phrases does Jesus use to show that “remaining in him” is vital and fruitful? What does “remaining in Him” look like?
- What has got in the way of “remaining in Him” as you accomplish your mission? What are some actions you could take to repent?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to the reading today.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
