john 15:5 Apart from me you can do nothing.

God’s word, j. Piper ideas, along w/ed’s thoughts

God intends for me to do something, namely bear fruit. Jesus promises to do for me what I can’t do for myself. If I abide in my Lord Jesus and his words abide in me I can ask whatever I wish and it will be done for me. I am to pray and to pray that God, the father, will do for me through Christ what I can’t do for myself: “bear fruit”.

“By this my father is glorified that I bear much fruit …. Fruit that will abide!”

God is glorified by my prayers because prayer is an open admission that without Christ I can do nothing, that is nothing of eternal benefit (divine value).  Prayer is turning away from myself and coming before God in confidence that he will provide the grace that I need, and the grace that those I pray for need.  So then with confidence I draw near to the throne of grace that I may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

From now on I regard no one according to the flesh. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. All of this is from God who through Christ has reconciled me to himself.  I am reconciled to God. For my sake, God made Jesus to be sin, even though he knew no sin, so that in him I have become the righteousness of God.

The eyes of the Lord are towards me and he hears my cries. He delivers me out of all my troubles. He is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  The Lord redeems my life. I bless the Lord at all times and his praise is continually in my mouth. My soul makes its boasts in the Lord.

If this tent which is my earthly home is destroyed, I know I have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. In this tent I groan, being burdened. I look forward  during this time to being further clothed so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. God has prepared for me this very thing and given me the Holy Spirit as a guarantee.

So I am always of good courage; I walk by faith and not by sight. So whether I am at home or away my aim is to please God. The love of Christ controls me, because I have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died.  And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who, for their sake, died and was raised. From now on, therefore, I regard no one according to the flesh.

Continued from yesterday

God’s delight in his son now dwells in me and is mine. This will never end because neither the father nor the son ever end.

Their love for each other is my love for them and, therefore, my loving them AND my knowing I am loved will never end.

“Whosoever keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. I love the brethren so I know God dwells in me and his love is perfected in me.  Herein is my love made perfect, that I may have boldness on the day of judgment. There is no fear in that kind of love; but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Two day post. God’s word, Ed’s opinion and some J. Piper teaching

Lord Jesus, you have made known to me the father, and you continue to make him known to me so that the love with which the father has loved you, Lord Jesus, will be in me and you, my Savior, will dwell in me.  ( a perfect, all powerful, eternal love; a divine love)

The father’s pleasure in the son has become my pleasure. The object of my pleasure, Jesus, my Lord, the Christ, the salvation, has inexhaustible personal worth. He is never boring or disappointing or frustrating.  No greater treasure can be conceived of than the son of God.

My ability to savor the inexhaustible love and worth of Jesus grows more complete day by day and will eventually be perfected for eternity. I will enjoy the son of God with the very enjoyment of his father.

John 17

Among all of God’s messages this is the message that we have heard from the beginning: “we should love one another”. We should not be angered (hate) at the brethren because they are different or because we are jealous.

We know we have passed out of death and into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.  We know love because we know our Lord Jesus; we know he lay down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

If we have the world’s goods and see our brother in need, we should gladly, thankfully, help meet that need, recognizing how God has met our needs. We do this well by recognizing God’s love for us and training ourselves to abide in that love. As God’s love abides in us, we will love the brothers in deed and in truth.

By your grace and illumination to me, father, I love the brethern and there is no darkness in me. I abide in the light and there is no cause for me to stumble. The word abides in me, and in Christ I have overcome the evil one.

I admonish the idle, encourage the faint hearted, help of the weak and am patient with them all. I am ready in season and out of season to share your word, Lord, to reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching. I am sober minded, longsuffering and yielded to the hand of God for the ministry he has for me.

You, oh Lord, are the God of peace. You brought my Lord Jesus again from the dead. Thank you that today you equip me with everything good that I may do your will. You work in me that which is pleasing in your sight through Jesus Christ.

The word of Christ dwells in me richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing me in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in my heart to the Lord.  Whatever I do in word or in deed, I do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the father by him. And whatsoever I do, I do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord I shall receive the reward of the inheritance for I serve the Lord Christ.

I am rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as I have been taught, I abound with thanksgiving. I am aware that no one spoil me through philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of man, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ.  In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and I am complete in Christ, who is the head of all principality and power. I am buried with him in baptism and raised with him through faith.

Lord Jesus, the Messiah, whose ministry has delivered me from the wrath to come, I pray today that by your grace, Lord, and by your presence, Holy Spirit, I will walk worthy of God, my father, who has called me into his kingdom and glory.  I thank you for your word, father, and I receive your word with gladness. I receive it as the truth and believe it works your will effectively in me.

Thank you, Lord, that you work in me to make me increase and abound in love toward others, and that you establish my heart unblamable in holiness before you.  Thank you, Lord, that you have called me to holiness. Today, I aspire to live a quiet life and to mind my own business and to work with joy with my hands, that I may walk properly with all that are around me and that I may lack nothing in my life.

I give thanks to you, my Heavenly Father, that you have made me meet (fit, able, qualified) to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light. I am thankful that you have delivered me from the power of darkness and have translated (moved from one place) me into the kingdom of your dear son, my Lord Jesus Christ, in whom I have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

My Lord Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is the first born (first in time and first in rank) of every creature. By Him were all things created that are in heaven or that are in earth; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and by him all things consist. He is the head of his body, the church. He is the beginning, the first born from the dead that in all things he might have preeminence. It pleased the father that in the Lord Jesus all fulness should dwell.