“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” (John 15:5 CSB)One of the most revealing things in life is pressure. Pressure does not usually create what comes out of us. It reveals what has already been there.That is hard to admit. Because most of us would rather blame the moment. We say things like, “I was...  Read More

“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4 CSB)Jesus does not tell His disciples to admire Him. He does not tell them to occasionally check in with Him. He does not tell them to keep Him nearby in case life gets hard. He says, “Remain in me.” That word is heavy. Remain. Stay....  Read More

“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4 CSB)There is a question we probably do not ask ourselves enough. Am I actually living connected to Christ? Not, “Do I believe in Jesus?” Not, “Do I go to church?” Not, “Do I know Christian things?” Not, “Do I serve, sing, pray someti...  Read More

“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” - James 1:22 CSBThere is a dangerous place we can get comfortable living. It is the place where we hear truth, agree with truth, feel convicted by truth, and still walk away unchanged.That should sober us. Because conviction can start feeling like obedience if we are not careful. We hear a sermon. We nod. We feel the weight of ...  Read More

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24 CSBHere is where we have to keep the gospel clear. Because a devotional series on taking up your cross can easily get twisted in the wrong direction.We can hear “deny yourself,” “take up your cross daily,” and “follow me,” and start t...  Read More

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20 CSBThere comes a point where we have to stop calling disobedience by softer names.That is uncomfortable. Because most of us do not usually say, “I am resisting Jesus.” We say things that sound m...  Read More