A Dwelling Place – A Devotion for the Revelation of God –

And It Came to Pass

A Dwelling Place –

Prepared by Pastor Calvin Cook 1-13-2025

Scripture: John 15:4-5 _”Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

In following up on this weekend’s sermon, I just wanted to re-enforce the complete focus on this teaching and our need, whether we want to realize it or not the importance of what it means to abide in Christ.

The invitation to abide in Jesus is a call to a deeper relationship with our Savior. It goes beyond merely recognizing God’s presence; it involves moving into His presence and making it our dwelling place. In John 15:4-5, Jesus uses the e of the example of the vine and branches to illustrate this essential truth. Just as a branch must remain connected to the vine to bear fruit, we must stay intimately connected to Jesus to thrive spiritually.

Recognizing God’s presence is the first step. It’s about acknowledging that He is always with us, guiding and sustaining us. However, abiding in His presence requires more intentionality and effort.  It means creating space in our lives to be with Him, to listen, to pray, and to immerse ourselves in His Word. It’s a daily commitment to stay connected to the source of our spiritual life. In lives where we lack focus or keeping focused – it becomes very important that without this intentional, minute by minute commitment to be connected to Christ that we soon become distracted and drawn away.

When we dwell in Jesus, we open ourselves to His transformative power. Our lives begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits are not a result of our efforts, but the natural outcome of a life deeply rooted in Christ. Apart from Him, we can do nothing of eternal significance.

As we go through our daily lives, let us strive to move beyond mere recognition of God’s presence to actively abiding in Him. May we find our home in Jesus, trusting that He will produce in us the fruits of His Spirit and draw us closer to His heart.

When will this come to pass? When we allow it to happen!