Apicontent

Day 21

Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane…and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death, stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:36–39) 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fought the greatest war of eternity. The souls of every man, woman, and child who had ever lived and who would ever live were at stake. Jesus battled for us all that night. His agony of soul was for you and for me. 

God created humankind to live in relationship with Him and to reign over the earth in keeping with His lovingkindness. God intended that we express His will on earth. He intended that the soul (the mind, will, and emotions) of humanity be under His guidance because that is what is best for us. 

But, in the Garden of Eden, Adam fell for Satan’s temptation and chose his own will over God’s. He cut himself off from relationship—from life in God’s goodness. After the fall, humans, with their “opened” eyes and new-found knowledge of good and evil, had to make their own decisions. Now the independent soul, separated from God, reigned over earth. 

The Father sent His Son as a man to accomplish in the last garden (Gethsemane) what Adam had fallen from in the first (Eden). He came to win back our place in union with God. 

In this passage, we see the intensity of the battle that raged in the last garden. Jesus asked for the cup to pass … but nevertheless willed His suffering soul to hold fast to God’s will. “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death…. O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 

We cannot grasp the anguish. As he battled in the garden, Jesus sweat drops of blood knowing what lay before Him. 

Scripture records the horrid physical events that followed in vivid detail. Jesus was betrayed, falsely accused, whipped, spat upon and cursed. He stumbled along a path lined with mockers to a hill called Golgotha. A crown of thorns was pressed upon His head. Onlookers despised the “King of the Jews” nailed to the cross for their sins. 

Yet the internal horror is hidden from view. The suffering of the “cup” was far greater than we can comprehend. It was as if Jesus’ heart was being torn in two. Throughout His life, He had always done His Father’s will … and known He was pleasing to His Father. But now, doing God’s will meant not unity, but separation; it meant experiencing the Father’s judgment and wrath. 

When Jesus surrendered His will and took the sin of the human race upon Himself, the relationship He knew with His Father was severed. In agony of soul He cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Our Savior bore the punishment of separation and wrath our sin deserved. 

In the last garden, Jesus chose His Father’s will over His own. Our restored relationship with God—our acceptance and embrace—came through Jesus’ loss of these very things. Jesus took the wrath we deserved for our sin and gave us instead His life in union with God. In this way, Jesus became the perfect expression—the unbroken channel—for God’s love on earth. 

Dearly beloved, let your soul rest in Jesus’ sacrifice. He chose to lay down His life, becoming in His death the greatest expression of love the world will ever know. He bore the penalty for your sin; He took the separation you deserved. Jesus reconciles you, as you really are, to the Father, as He really is. This is the vastness of His love for you. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Consider Jesus’ struggle to surrender His will to the will of His Father. What does this mean to you personally? 

Day 22

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder.” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8–10) 

Obedience to the Old Covenant law is not the basis of God’s acceptance of us; and it is not the means by which we come to enjoy eternal life. Following rules and regulations, even those based on Scripture, will never get us back to God. 

The Ten Commandments clearly spell out the good to do and the evil to avoid, but the law doesn’t provide the ability to actually do what it says. The knowledge of good and evil (as clearly defined by the Old Covenant law) drives us to try and become like God by doing good and avoiding evil. But our independent soul, separated from God, simply cannot do the “good” it intends; religion doesn’t work. 

When God gave the Ten Commandments, He knew that in our fallen nature, obedience was impossible. But He gave the Old Covenant anyway … so we could learn that fact for ourselves. He gave the law to show us our utter inability to obey the law … so we would come to the end of ourselves … give up on our independent soul-led living … and find life in Jesus. “The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ” (Galatians 3:24). 

Voices in our heads may tell us differently. Satan is a legalist; he will whisper condemning thoughts based on our failures to measure up to the standards we hold. He will tell us things like, “You lied again.” “Shame on you.” “You won’t ever be good enough!” 

Don’t listen to these lies. God’s lovingkindness is the basis of your acceptance. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The love of the Father, Son, and Spirit is the firm, unshakable foundation of your eternal life. It’s not about your sins keeping you away; it’s about God keeping you close. It’s not about your exclusion and failure under the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; it’s about your inclusion in Jesus’ victory. 

God doesn’t love you because you are good. He makes you good because He loves you. 

As we come to know God’s love, we become naturally obedient. When we know we are loved, we treat others with that same love. And, the one “who loves another has fulfilled the law.” If we love someone, we won’t commit adultery, murder, or steal. We will honor them, respect them and want what is best for them. Knowing we are loved makes us good so that we radiate His lovingkindness from the inside out. 

Scripture doesn’t say, “Love abolishes the law.” Love doesn’t do away with the law. It doesn’t make stealing or adultery OK. Love isn’t lawless. Rather, love verifies that the law is right. Love fulfills the law; it makes the commandments naturally doable for the soul at rest in God’s love. 

We live out the life God desires and promised for us, not by putting external rules on ourselves to stifle “bad” behaviors, but by truly becoming good from the inside out. Our soul isn’t meant to try and live by obeying rules. It is meant to live by obeying the Spirit—by living in agreement with God who is love. 

With our spirit alive with His Spirit, our soul abiding in Jesus’ love and our body naturally expressing that, the law is fulfilled! “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

What thoughts and feelings arise in you as you consider the statement: “God doesn’t love you because you are good. He makes you good because He loves you.” 

What thoughts and feelings arise in you as you consider the Scripture, “Love is the fulfillment of the law”? 

In some way might you have been thinking God desires your obedience or holiness more than He desires you? Explain your answer.

Day 23

The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:14) 

Throughout the New Testament faith and love are repeatedly spoken of together. Both are vitally important and inseparable. 

In his letters, Paul thanks God for these two “exceedingly abundant” expressions of the grace he sees in others. “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints” (Colossians 1:3–4). “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you” (Ephesians 1:15–16). “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren … because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). 

Why is Paul so thankful for the faith and love he sees in others? 

Paul is thankful because faith and love are evidence that God is at work in us. God is the source of our faith and our love. Jesus is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). And God gives us the love that makes our loving possible. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). 

If we think of faith or love as something we are responsible for generating, then we put ourselves back under the law and its impossibility. Faith and love are not a result of our independent efforts; they come from receiving what God freely gives. Faith doesn’t earn us life in Christ; it connects us to that life which Jesus has already earned for us. Our part is not to try to earn God’s love; our part is simply to accept that we are loved. 

Receiving faith or love is like unwrapping a gift. Someone can give us a present, but unless we choose to open the present, we can’t enjoy it. Although it has been bought and paid for, we can’t enjoy its amazing benefits until we unwrap it. 

Faith comes first because belief is what connects us to God so that what He has already done for us becomes real in experience. The Christian life is meant to be lived by faith—by being led by the Spirit (not by the soul). Without faith, we can do our own religious (or non-religious) things, but we completely miss the mark of living in life-giving relationship with God. 

Love comes second because it is the essence of God who we come to know by faith. Believing that we are always welcomed by God gives us the freedom to stop pretending to be somebody we hope will be acceptable and live in the freedom of knowing His acceptance. Knowing we are valued and treasured allows us to treat others as the valued and treasured people they are. 

In this way, through actions based in love, our faith comes alive in expression. Scripture tells us, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). Our belief in God doesn’t just stay silent within us. It works itself out in love. The works that faith does are done in love. Faith reaches up to God; then love reaches out to others. 

God designed our lives to be lived in faith and love. We take a step of faith—of looking to Jesus—with one foot. Then we take a step of love—of compassionate works prompted by faith— with the other. “Faith [works] through love” (Galatians 5:6). 

My brother, my sister, God’s joy in you rises with your acceptance of all He gives. He is so pleased when you accept His “exceedingly abundant” grace. It fills Him with delight when you receive the “faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

Have you ever tried to work up faith in yourself? What has been the result of that effort? 

Have you ever tried to work up love in yourself? What has been the result of that effort? 

Think of someone (or several people) you can be thankful for today … because of their faith and love. 

Day 24

Then Peter, turning around, saw [John] the disciple whom Jesus loved. (John 21:20) 

If somebody asked you, “Who are you?” what would you say? How would you describe yourself? 

You might answer by talking about your job, your possessions, your children, the color of your skin, or your country of origin. You might define yourself by what other people say about you or by what has happened to you in the past. These types of responses paint a picture of how the world sees us. 

But the Apostle John saw himself differently. He chose to be known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). 

John did not describe himself as “a Jewish man from Galilee,” nor as “a fisherman.” He did not even call himself “a follower of Jesus” or “the disciple who loved Jesus.” John called himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John’s identity was firmly grounded in Jesus’ love for him. 

John knew his identity in Christ, yet all too often we resist ours. We struggle against the love He gives. We wonder, “How could He really care that much about me?” It seems too good to be true. 

Instead, we are tempted to accept the thoughts concocted by Satan, “the father of lies” (John 8:44), and supported by the world around us. Since the fall, Satan has bombarded all of us humans with untrue thoughts and feelings that, if we believe, leave us feeling worthless, rejected, anxious or, on the opposite extreme, smugly self-satisfied and superior to others. Layers of guilt and shame on the one hand, or egotistical pride on the other, obscure our true identity. 

We were made in the image of God. But all too often we reverse God’s original intent and make Him fit the image we have of ourselves. We develop a view of God (often aided by religion) that supports our false view of self. In our minds, we fashion God so that He somehow fits with the lies Satan throws at us. For example, if we condemn ourselves for a certain behavior, we will make up a God who condemns us—even though Scripture tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). 

Oblivious to the truth of who God is, we unwittingly live life guided by visions of a being who exists only in the warped perceptions of our souls. 

Jesus understands the genesis of our darkened minds. He feels the abuse we suffered. He knows the grief, the heartaches, the sorrow, the anxious strivings. He is aware of our family, its dysfunction, and how, from our mother’s womb, we grew to hold false ideas about ourselves, others, and God. 

Jesus took all that upon Himself. He took our sins and unbelief and entered into our fallen state. Yet He stands before the Father, seeing Him as He really is. Jesus knows the bondage and blindness of our fallen minds and He knows “what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). He knows our Father’s heart and He shares the Father’s heart with us in our darkness. 

As the Spirit brings light to our twisted thinking, we come to a fork in the road. We have a decision to make. Will we stay jailed in our world-based way of thinking or will we embrace the unknown freedom of life God’s way? Will we hang onto our old thought paradigms or will we embrace the new? 

John the Apostle embraced the new. In chapter 13 of his Gospel, it was as if the veil fell from John’s eyes and he saw Jesus’ love for him and all humanity. On the night of the last supper, just after Jesus washed his feet, John began to call himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

Can you identify any thoughts you might be telling yourself about yourself that aren’t true? If so, record those thoughts. 

How might your view of self be impacting your view of God? 

“The disciple whom Jesus loves.” Write that name for yourself on something you can see every day … as a reminder of who you really are in Christ. 

Day 25

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 38–39) 

Paul says it clearly. He has lived it and he knows. “[Nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Nothing can stop God from loving you. But evil can and does work to prevent you from believing you are loved. Over and over again, in various ways, Satan tempts us to think we are unworthy of God’s affection. “You are a disgrace,” Satan whispers into our thoughts. “How could anyone want to be with you?” 

Consider the life of Saul (who became Paul) and the condemning thoughts he must have had to overcome. As a zealous young Pharisee, Saul had participated in stoning Stephen. He had persecuted and put to death believers. If anyone deserved to be cut off from God, it would have been Paul. Think of how Satan must have tempted him to think God couldn’t possibly want him after what he had done. 

Another trick Satan uses to separate us is to make us think that we can earn God’s approval if we just try harder. He tempts: “Obey these rules.” “Try this program.” “Pray more.” “Give more.” “Keep trying.” 

Prior to his experience on the Damascus Road, Saul was living in this trap. He was a self-described “Hebrew of Hebrews … a Pharisee … concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5). Saul was zealously following the rules of his religion. But no religion can fix the problem of our separation from God. 

Jesus is the only solution. The freeing truth is that He died for our sins. He repaired the gap. He reconciles us to the Father. 

Yet another trick Satan uses is to tempt us to think that when something bad happens, it is proof that God doesn’t care. “If God really loved you,” he whispers, “why didn’t He prevent the cancer?” “The abuse and suffering?” “The child’s premature death?” 

As a believer, Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, beaten, and jailed. He witnessed his friends being persecuted and killed for their faith. Yet, he remained steadfast; he knew tribulation and persecution, famine and sword were not signs that Jesus had abandoned him. In fact, he wrote, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed…. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:16–17). 

My friend, your suffering is not a sign that God is unhappy with you. Your afflictions are not evidence that God has abandoned you. Rather, God uses the hard times to draw you to Him so you can come to know and trust Him in deeper ways. Through the trials, He is working His glory—His nature—into you. 

Falsely believing that we can be separated from God causes us to act like it. If we don’t recognize God’s constant lovingkindness toward us, we will live life trying to get back into His favor. Instead of living from the foundation of knowing we are loved and valued, we will live struggling to earn love and value. 

It isn’t our job to try to keep ourselves in God’s love. In Christ you and I are in His love. Whether you agree with it or not, whether you believe it or not, you are loved by God. Your belief does not change the truth, but believing the truth does change you. 

Your position in Christ is one of inseparable union! Absolutely nothing can come between you and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Is there something that you think can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ? If so, what does this Scripture speak to you specifically about that something? 

How would you personally sum up today’s Scripture? 

Day 26

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) 

When we receive Jesus, our spirit is born again. God’s Spirit now lives in our spirit. In union with God, we share in the Trinity’s eternal life. 

But we can still think we are separated … and therefore live like it. Just because we have accepted Jesus does not mean we automatically become the people God intends. 

What is our problem? Once saved into the Trinity’s life of love, why can’t we live the life we see promised in Scripture? Why do we still struggle so much to be “good” Christians? 

Our spirit isn’t the problem; it is born again. Our body isn’t the problem; it simply reflects the thoughts and feelings of the soul. Our soul is the problem! Our mind, will, and emotions are not in agreement with God. 

Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Thinking wrongly causes us to live wrongly. Even as believers, we don’t make known—we don’t “prove”—“the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” because we think of ourselves as less than we are and we think of God as less than He is. 

When we are young and vulnerable, Satan begins planting twisted thoughts in our minds. The enemy knows that the core need of every person is to be cherished and adored. So, in order to steal, kill and destroy us human beings created in God’s image, the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10) fills our souls with wrong thoughts and feelings. He uses life experiences and traumatic events to keep us from seeing ourselves as treasured and valuable. 

The lies he plants might be something like: “You are not loved because you are _____. And then the blank is filled in with words such as: “unwanted,” “not as good as your brother,” or “not smart enough.” Or perhaps the lies take the form: “You need to _____ in order to prove your worth.” And then the blank is filled in with something impossible to do, such as: “obey the Ten Commandments,” “please your mother” or “be tougher.” 

It is not easy to recognize these twisted misconceptions. They hide in wordless silence beneath the radar of conscious thought, deep in the foundational structure of our mind, will, and emotions. Recurrent, distressing feelings (such as anxiety, terror, hopelessness, or separation) are the voice of your soul crying out, “Help me.” “Things aren’t right.” “I’m hurting.”

We weren’t taught the lies that manifest in these distressing feelings; it is more like we caught them. We caught them in the context of family, culture, and upbringing. 

Based on our interpretations of our experiences in the world, we form assumptions about ourselves, God, and others. 

But what if these assumptions are false? What if you are worth more than you can comprehend? What if God values and adores you, not as the world values you, not because you do “good” things, not with the underlying motive of changing or improving you, but just because you are you? 

There is hope. In keeping with God’s Word, the Spirit reveals truth to us. We grow in agreement with truth as we grow to know Jesus in the ongoing relationship of eternal life. And so we bring ourselves as hurting, vulnerable people in desperate need and let the Spirit reveal Jesus to us. We welcome Him to search and cleanse our souls. Even in difficulties, we trust Him and accept His ways of renewing our minds. 

What God says about you is true. You are His “very good” of creation. He fashioned you in your mother’s womb. He rejoices over you. He delights in you. 

God is working with you and in you to renew your mind so you become the person He created you to be. You are designed to express—to “prove” to the world—“the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

When do you tend to experience recurrent emotions you know aren’t healthy? 

What untrue thoughts about yourself, God, or others might underlie those emotions? 

Imagine what it might be like to have your mind renewed so that you think of yourself as God thinks of you.

Day 27

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17) 

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus heard these words as a man when he was baptized in the Jordan River. He heard these words as a person who, as far as we know from Scripture, had done nothing noteworthy in life up to that point. He heard His Father’s words before He had a single follower, taught a single lesson or did a single miracle. 

Jesus was born in an animal shed to a poor, unmarried girl. Soon after His birth, His family had to flee as refugees to a foreign land because authorities were trying to kill Him. Jesus was a 30-year-old carpenter living in an insignificant, little town when His heavenly Father spoke over Him, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

Despite worldly evidence to the contrary, Jesus believed those words; He knew them as His identity. 

Immediately upon being baptized, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted to do something to prove the identity just spoken by His Father, “This is My beloved Son.” Satan tempted, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread…. If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.…” (Matthew 4:3–6). 

Adam and Eve had been similarly tested. They were created in God’s image. God had said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). But Satan tempted: “In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God….” (Genesis 4:5). Humankind already was like God; we were created according to His likeness. 

But the serpent deceived: “Do this and make yourself better.” “Make yourself like God.” So the first couple did something they thought would make them become who (God had said) they already were. They ate the fruit .… and completely lost sight of their God-given identity. 

Satan’s temptation is still the same today: “Prove yourself.” “Do something grand and eye-catching.” “What God says about you isn’t true.” “You aren’t enough.” Satan tempts us to do something God hasn’t asked of us—to step away from the Spirit’s leading and follow the leading of our independent soul. 

Being believers doesn’t exempt us from this deception. Rather “the father of lies” (John 8:44) adds new twists. “Follow these Christian guidelines and improve yourself.” “You need to expand your ministry.” “Prove yourself by doing miracles.” 

But trying to become prevents us from simply resting in who we already are. In Christ, there is no need to work for approval, rather, our good works come from the foundation of experiencing His approval. 

Jesus didn’t try to prove Himself. He only did what His Father gave Him to do. He said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does” (John 5:19–20). Jesus’ life flowed out of believing His Father’s words and knowing He was the beloved Son. At every step, He was led by the Spirit and walked in agreement with—in obedience to—His loving Father. 

We were created to do the same—to be led by the Spirit and walk in obedience to the love of God. Jesus is our example. He isn’t an example we get to try to copy in our own strength; He is the supreme example we get to believe in! In His death, Jesus regained for us our God-given identity stolen in the fall. He made a way for us to be like Him. 

You don’t need to do anything to prove your identity. As a beloved son/daughter, the works God chooses you to participate in flow out of your relationship with Him. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Have you thought you needed to do something more to prove your identity in Christ? Explain your answer. 

In Christ, you are accepted and adored. Write a sentence or recall a Scripture that reminds you personally of this truth. 

Day 28

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.… As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:4–5, 9) 

Jesus’ analogy of the vine and the branches paints a beautiful picture of our life in union with Him. Think of a flourishing grapevine; in Christ, our lives are vibrant and bountiful like the branches of that grapevine. 

Jesus is the vine; He is the root, trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit. He is the entire vine and we are part of Him. The vine is the whole and we, the branches, are an integral part of that whole. 

The vine and the branches are of the same substance. There is no separation between them. The same sap runs through both. We fit together perfectly with Jesus; He is a part of us and we are a part of Him. He lives in us and we live in Him; we abide in His love. 

When the branch is connected to the vine, it flourishes. The life of the vine flows through the branches and produces grapes. Apart from Christ, we are lifeless branches. 

But we can be fooled. The limbs of a dead Christmas tree can be hung with pretty ornaments. We can decorate ourselves to fit people-pleasing norms. From the outside, ornaments look “nice,” but only fruit carries the seeds of life. The independent soul is capable of making ornaments, but it is not capable of producing fruit. 

Fruit doesn’t come from being “nice” or religious. Apart from God, our thinking, our studying, our hard work, even our prayers, can’t produce fruit. No matter how well-intentioned our efforts be, fruit of the vine—fruit of the Spirit—is not “fruit of our effort.” Fruit of the Spirit comes as we are led by the Spirit in ongoing relationship with God. 

Fruit of the Spirit differs from gifts of the Spirit. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 believers waiting in Jerusalem and they received gifts of the Spirit. Still today the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we receive gifts of the Spirit including speaking in tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge, and the working of miracles. 

But fruit of the Spirit comes from a deep, abiding relationship within. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22). Fruit are traits of Christ’s nature which bubble up from within us.

Fruit is evidence of His life in us. It comes naturally as we rest in Jesus just as a branch abides in the vine. We are full of love, joy, and peace because Christ in us is these things. “Abide in Me.” “Abide in My love.” These words hold the key to our life in Christ. Fruit comes naturally as we rest in God’s love. 

Branches can’t produce fruit without being part of the vine and the vine can’t produce fruit without its branches. Jesus gives us a vital place in His life and work. We are wanted and included in God’s plan to share His goodness with the world. We are His open arms. We are his mouthpiece speaking words of truth and encouragement. He has chosen to show His goodness to the world through us. We are fruit-bearing branches overflowing with His life. 

You, my friend, are an integral part of the greatest love the world will ever know. God’s nature is reflected through the earthen vessel of your humanity. Life on earth is your opportunity to bring to others, the goodness of God … so that they too can be an integral part of the greatest love the world will ever know. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Picture a flourishing grapevine with branches overflowing with grapes. What does this image portray about your life as a vital part of Jesus, the vine? 

Recall a particularly memorable time when you were able to care for someone with extraordinary kindness and compassion. Record your experience. 

Day 29

But God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6) 

Three times in this passage Paul repeats the word “together.” God has “made us alive together with Christ.” He has “raised us up together.” He has “made us to sit together in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus.” “Together.” “Together.” “Together.” The bond is sealed tight. There is no separation; we are one in Christ. 

God’s purpose was not just to create us. It was not just to help us live a better life on earth. It was not just to welcome us to heaven when we died. It was not just to give us a glimpse of the Trinity’s glory. His purpose was to unite us with Christ so that we are together with Him in the intimate, vibrant, eternal life the Trinity enjoy. 

But how could God accomplish this? We were dead in our sin. We had completely missed the mark of living in unity with Him. In the fall we had sunk into the trap of doing our own thing apart from God. We had lost sight of who God was. And the Old Covenant was proof that we couldn’t obey our way out of it, work our way out of it or earn our way out of it. 

So, the Father sent His Son. In the form of a person like us. Jesus came down from the light of heaven and descended into our darkness. He took our sin; He took our blindness of not seeing God’s goodness and our messed-up thinking (that we were fine without Him). Jesus entered into our human nature; He was tempted as we are—with sin and unbelief. 

Jesus became one with us. When He died on the cross, all of our sin—all of our blindness, unbelief, and disunity with God—died too. Jesus took our Adam-nature—our old way of thinking and being—to the grave. 

But He didn’t stop there. Jesus rose in resurrection life! He ascended to the Father and when He did, He carried us with Him! When He rose, we rose—to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Jesus’ oneness with His Father became ours. 

Two thousand years ago, Jesus accomplished this for us. It is done. Today we get to live knowing and believing the truth: we get to live and knowing and believing Jesus. 

But what compelled Jesus to do what He did? Why did He do it? What is His heart for us? How does He really feel about you?

This Scripture makes clear the answer to these questions. God is “rich in mercy.” He made us alive together in Christ “because of His great love with which He loved us.” 

Jesus did what He did because He loves you and me. He treasures you. He values you. He doesn’t just love you because He is good and that is what He is supposed to do. He doesn’t love you grudgingly out of duty. God adores you extravagantly. He actually enjoys you and wants to be with you. He delights in you like a good father delights in his child. 

And His love is backed by action. He doesn’t just say what you want to hear. He would do anything to help you become your very best—your true self as He created you to be. 

Jesus carried you all the way into the Father’s embrace. The cross isn’t just about your sins being forgiven so you can go to heaven when you die; the cross is also about living in oneness with Jesus—in the acceptance and adoration of the Trinity—surrounded and infused with the relational rightness your soul craves. 

In Christ, you are alive together, raised up together, seated together. You are eternally together with Christ “because of His great love with which He loved us.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

What thoughts or feelings of God’s great love come to mind when you think of yourself as “together with Christ”? 

Day 30

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”
Then the righteous will answer Him saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?”
And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:34–40) 

Have you ever wondered, How do I love God? How does God want me to show that I love Him? Is it through singing songs of praise? Will He know that I love Him if I obey the Ten Commandments? Does He want me to shout into the sky, “I love You, Lord”? 

Jesus’ description of the King and his kingdom answers these questions. God wants us to demonstrate our love for Him by loving others. He accepts our love for others as our love for Him. 

The Old Covenant contained two great commandments: “You shall love the LORD your God …” and “You shall love your neighbor …” (Matthew 22:37, 39). But Jesus gave us a single command: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Jesus’ command does not mention loving God. Only one command is required because by loving others we are loving God. There is no need for two commands; both are contained in the one. 

God is intimately connected to His people. When Saul (who became Paul) was blinded by a bright light on the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke to him, “Saul. Saul. Why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). After Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, the Lord took the fisherman aside and asked him three times, “Peter, do you love Me.” And each time, after Peter responded, “Yes,” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” “Tend My Sheep.” “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15–17). 

Jesus is so closely identified—so in union—with His followers that it is as if He is saying, “Every act of kindness you do for another you are actually doing for Me.” “As you care for others, I feel your love.” 

Hands-on, human acts of goodness, give us a picture of what heavenly love looks like on earth and they satisfy the heart of God. When you treat others with compassion, you are showing Him compassion. When you stop for a homeless person, you are stopping for Him. When you feed the hungry (physically or spiritually), you are feeding Him. When you comfort a friend in a difficult place, welcome a stranger or visit one who is sick, you are caring for Him. 

God is pleased when you give people the love their soul so desperately desires. When you treat others with loving kindness—as the treasured people they are—they begin to realize they are valued. In loving others, you reveal to them their own inherent beauty and declare to them their own incredible worth. Oh, the joy this brings to Jesus. 

You, my friend, were created to know God’s love and let it pour out of you to others. God gave you your unique place in the world to love those around you. In the wonderful way God made His kingdom, He accepts your love for others as your love for Him. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Who has God placed in your path to treat with lovingkindness? How might you best care for that person today? 

How might it change your attitudes and interactions to realize that in caring for someone, you are caring for Jesus?