Hey everyone! Hope you all are well. I’ve been meditating on this verse this week and about I guess what it means or looks like or should look like in my walk following Jesus. John 15:7 But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! These words were spoken by Jesus to his disciples shortly before he was to be crucified...so I’m still processing so much about this verse but as I read on in the story I came across this!
Jesus prays to his Father for his disciples. All of chapter 17 is awesome but when I read John 17:20-21 after meditating and struggling with John 15:7 I was so encouraged and just wanted to share it with you all.
In John 17:20-21 Jesus says, “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father-that just as you are in me and I am in you so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.
Jesus prayed that for us who believe in Him! Jesus said, God the Father will grant any request made when joined to Him and His words remain in us. So I still don’t understand all this verse means or what it looks like unpacked and lived out but it brought me so much peace and encouragement because if Jesus himself prayed that for us who believe in him, God will grant his request! We will be one with Him and because of that we will inevitably produce fruit and thus the world will believe God the Father sent His Son Jesus to this world.
So in summary, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6). We don’t have to have it all figured out just trust and obey and God will take care of the rest! Hope that blesses you as it blessed me.
Johnny, that is such an awesome post this morning, brother. I am grateful that you shared it with us today. The passage of scripture you brought forward is very encouraging indeed!
We can do nothing apart from Christ and that is why we must abide in Him so that we can and will bear fruit. When we try to bear fruit or do "good works" in our own strength or through our flesh, we fail. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit moving within us that we can bear the fruit produced in us by the Holy Spirit and please to God. This means we must surrender to God and His will. This is very tough to do! We have to get out of our own way and let Christ work through us.
One of the truths regarding His will being done in our lives is that when we abide in Christ, He places His desires in our heart. The Holy Spirit prompts us to pray for what we desire, which at that point is in alignment with God's will.
Philippians 4:6-7
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
When we are careful for nothing, this is evidence that our will has been surrendered over to the Lord.
This are my thoughts concerning what you posted.