Shownotes
Mari leads listeners through a Bible study on John 15, focusing on the relationship between the vine and the branches. With a mix of prayer and reflection, Mari emphasizes the importance of remaining in Christ, abiding in His word, and embracing the spiritual pruning that leads to deeper faith and fruitful living. Listeners are encouraged to integrate daily prayer into their lives as a means of fostering a more profound connection with God.
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Follow Along:
Transcripts
Hey, I'm your host, Mari Wagner,
and you're listening to the ever be
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:podcast where faith meets lifestyle.
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:I'm so excited you're here, whether you're
a new listener or a longtime follower,
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:I know there's something here for you.
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:Pull up a chair and listen in for
insightful real life conversations
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:and actionable steps on how to claim
the full life God created you for.
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:If you're a woman desiring to live
a Christ centered life in today's
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:modern world, then this is for you.
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:Welcome to Ever Be.
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:mari-host816_2_08-07-2024_075033:
Good morning everybody.
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:It's Wednesday yet again and today
I'm not recording from my house.
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:Um, I also just realized I said good
morning and it is morning for me right
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:now, but maybe it's not morning for you.
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:And the most Catholic
thing just happened to me.
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:I flipped over my Bible and literally
all of my prayer cards just fell out.
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:So if you are Catholic, you
too understand, and have
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:probably had this experience.
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:Um, anyways, I'm not
recording from my house today.
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:I don't know if you can hear it
if you're just listening, but if
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:you are watching, you can see the
beautiful Caribbean sea behind me.
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:I am actually on vacation
in Turks and Caicos.
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:And I am recording here in the
morning, just out on the patio.
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:With the warm breeze, the sun is rising.
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:I mean, it's already in
the air, but it's like 7 a.
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:m.
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:And it's, it's got that like golden
morning light coming through.
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:And the ocean is just so beautiful.
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:I am just in awe, continually just
in awe of God's creation as I'm here.
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:And I think being at the beach,
but I think specifically just
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:like gorgeous tropical beaches
has just allowed me to see God's.
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:Uh, artistry in a new way.
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:I think there's so much creativity
that the Lord has that is shown to
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:us through the sand and the ocean
and the sceneries, the multitude of
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:sceneries that can be found near.
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:The water in like near a beach, it can
have so many different, uh, looks to it.
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:And right now I, the house that we're
on is on like a rocky kind of, it's
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:not really a big cliff, but it's kind
of like a rocky hill with a bunch of
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:like, jungle y greenery around it, like
super tropical plants, super bright
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:green, and then it just drops into the
teal, teal, clear waters of the ocean
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:and perfectly, perfectly white sands.
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:So,
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:Anyways, I'm here right now.
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:Today's podcast is going to
be a little bit different.
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:I'm excited.
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:We're going to pray together.
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:I'm going to be doing a little Bible
study, a little scripture study, um,
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:on John 15, the vine and the branches.
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:Now, if you know the Bible, well,
you've probably read this, but don't.
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:Don't go rolling your eyes and being
like, Oh my gosh, I've already read this.
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:I'm going to skip this.
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:Don't skip it.
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:The Word of God is alive, and if you have
read the Bible already, or if you've read
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:this chapter already, promise you the
Lord has something new for you today.
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:And if you haven't read much of the
Bible or much of the gospels, or maybe
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:you just haven't read this specific
gospel, then I'm so excited for you to
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:hear this right now for the first time.
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:I would say it's a fundamental passage
that it says a lot, um, shows us a lot
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:about God, how he interacts with us,
um, what he desires for us in our life
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:and shows us a little bit of our world.
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:Into, I think the genius behind his plan,
and I say that lightly because we could
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:never know the full genius behind what
God does, why he does what he does, why
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:he allows certain things in our life.
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:Um, but I know that we're all often
looking for answers like that.
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:We're all often trying to figure out,
God, what are you doing in my life?
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:What is the purpose?
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:Why are we doing this?
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:Um, and I feel like this.
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:passage just kind of like pulls
back the curtain a little bit.
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:Um, and the Lord willed it.
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:I mean, the, the, the word of
God is inspired or word of God.
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:And if it's in this book, he
desired for us to know it.
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:And so I think it will bring, it can
bring a lot of us comfort, um, as
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:well as a little bit of tough love,
which The father is known to do
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:sometimes and I think it's a good thing
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:because any good father that
loves his children Has to
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:give tough love at some point.
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:So let's just start out in a prayer
and see what the Lord has for us today
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:In the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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:Amen.
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:Come Holy Spirit
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:come be present in this room
right now Um, be present in the
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:heart of all of our listeners.
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:I thank you Lord for the gift of this
daughter or son of yours that is tuning
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:in and desiring to hear your word and to
grow in their faith in some way today.
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:Um, please bless these desires that
we have to grow closer to you, to know
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:you more, to love you better, just to
open ourselves, open our hearts, our
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:lives, our minds, to welcome you in
deeper, to let you in, um, in a more
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:profound way, in a more transformative
way in our lives, Lord, so much so
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:that it would change who we are.
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:I in the word, uh, we know that your
word is your inspired word, your living
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:word, and there's always something
that you want to share with us today.
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:Um, there's always something that you
want us to hear, uh, some way that
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:you want to speak into our lives.
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:So I just pray that you just make this
word living into our lives, that you
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:make this word incarnate, um, that
we would truly hear your voice and.
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:Allow this word today to transform us
today to really resonate in our hearts
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:and have it be something that we can take
with us and ponder it throughout our day.
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:Yes, it's all in your most holy name.
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:Amen.
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:Okay.
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:I'm going to get comfy here.
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:First of all, I'm going to put all
these prayer cards away because
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:they keep floating away in the wind.
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:I got my water bottle
so I can stay hydrated.
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:Okay.
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:So I'm going to do what the church
likes to call Lectio Divina, which
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:is basically a form of Praying with
scripture and approaching scripture,
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:and it means you read it several times.
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:You maybe use your senses, your
imagination to kind of engage the
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:scripture and maybe put yourself
in the scene or really just like
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:attentively listen to each word and
see if a certain word or phrase lingers
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:on your heart or resonates with you.
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:Then we just kind of go into like a
more, more reflective period of the
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:prayer where we kind of take those
things apart and Usually if you're
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:praying with someone either a friend
or a family member or a group It would
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:be a space for everybody to share.
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:Right now It's just you and me and while
you can hear me, I can't hear you So
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:you're just gonna get my reflection today
But if there's anything that resonates
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:with you from today's prayer and scripture
study, please send me a DM You don't
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:know how You Amazing it is how much I
love seeing your DMs when you listen to
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:a podcast and come back and share with
me what you thought from it, what you
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:got from it, how you were encouraged,
um, how you're taking it from just, you
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:know, It's what you're hearing on in your
AirPods or in your car to like real life.
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:So if you feel like something resonates
with you or something stood out to you
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:or you have a question or you just loved
this kind of podcast today of just like
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:praying together through scripture,
please drop it in my DMs and let me know.
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:Okay, let's dive in.
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:I'm going to, I'm going to read it.
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:So this is John chapter 15 verse 1.
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:And I think we're going to go chapter 15
verses 1 through 11 in the book of John.
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:The vine and the branches.
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:I am the true vine and my
father is the vine grower.
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:He takes away every branch in me that does
not bear fruit, and every one that does
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:he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
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:You are already pruned because
of the word that I spoke to you.
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:Remain in me as I remain in you.
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:Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on
its own unless it remains on the vine, so
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:neither can you unless you remain in me.
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:vine, you are the branches.
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:Whoever remains in me, and I
in him, will bear much fruit.
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:Because without me, you can do nothing.
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:Anyone who does not remain in me will
be thrown out like a branch and wither.
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:People will gather them and throw them
into a fire and they will be burned.
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:If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask for whatever you
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:want and it will be done for you.
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:By this my Father is glorified, that you
bear much fruit and become my disciples.
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:As the Father loves
me, so I also love you.
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:Remain in my love.
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:If you keep my commandments,
you will remain in my love,
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:just as I have kept my father's
commandments and remain in his love.
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:I have told you this so that my joy may
be in you and your joy may be complete.
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:Okay, so that time we read it kind of just
to get an overview, just to understand
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:what the passage is about, what.
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:The Lord is saying, like, what are
we actually getting in here today?
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:This time I'm going to read it again.
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:If you are in a space where you can just
like put down what you're doing, it's just
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:sit down for a few minutes while we do
this together, I encourage you to do so.
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:If you can like close your eyes and
enter into the scene, this time,
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:um, put yourself in the scene where.
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:Jesus is saying this to his
disciples, or he's saying this to you.
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:Uh, I would love it if you could do that.
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:Um, if you can't do that
right now, if you're driving,
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:please don't close your eyes.
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:If you're doing something else, um,
and you can't really step away from it.
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:No worries.
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:Just allow these words from.
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:You know, scripture to sink in and to
feed your soul, to feed you in the way
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:that you need to today and just allow it
to kind of resonate with you throughout
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:the day and try and come back to it.
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:Come try and like pray
with it throughout the day.
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:If you can, if you don't have
space right now to really sit
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:down, close your eyes and let
this, um, really sink in right now.
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:So.
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:I'm going to read it again.
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:Like I said, if you're in a place where
you can just like put down what you're
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:doing, close your eyes, enter into
the scene and engage your imagination.
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:Um, and it's going to be different
for everybody, but just, um,
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:Um, just engage your imagination
and put yourself in the scene.
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:Where are you?
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:Where is Jesus?
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:Where is he speaking?
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:How is he speaking?
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:Um, and what from what
he's saying is lingering.
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:I want you to notice this.
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:What words from this passage do you
feel like really resonate with you?
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:Do you feel like your soul
just kind of like pauses on?
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:So just take note of that.
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:I'll read it again.
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:I am the true vine, and my
father is the vine grower.
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:He takes away every branch in me that does
not bear fruit, and every one that does
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:he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
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:You are already pruned because
of the word that I spoke to you.
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:Remain in me as I remain in you.
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:Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on
its own unless it remains on the vine, so
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:neither can you unless you remain in me.
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:I am the vine, you are the branches.
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:Whoever remains in me, and I
in him, will bear much fruit.
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:Because without me, You can do nothing.
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:Anyone who does not remain in me will
be thrown out like a branch and wither.
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:People will gather them and throw them
into a fire and they will be burned.
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:If you remain in me, and my words
remain in you, ask for whatever you
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:want and it will be done for you.
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:By this is my Father glorified, that you
bear much fruit and become my disciples.
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:As the Father loves
me, so I also love you.
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:Remain in my love.
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:If you keep my commandments,
you will remain in my love,
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:just as I have kept my Father's
commandments and remain in His love.
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:I have told you this so that my joy may
be in you, and your joy may be complete.
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:I love this passage because I feel like it
just reveals our great need for the Lord.
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:This deep need that we have as
human beings, as his sons and
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:daughters, uh, for our God, for For
us to be in union with him, for us
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:to, like he says, remain in him.
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:I know that some, um, versions of the
Bible, some translation also use the
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:word abide for us to abide in him.
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:And that's a very unique and specific
word that I feel like we don't
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:necessarily use in like a day to day.
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:We don't.
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:We don't say like, Oh my gosh,
I want you to abide in me.
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:You know what I mean?
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:Like, it's not like part
of our common language.
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:And so I think it holds
a special weight to it.
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:Like, what does it mean to
abide with God, to abide in God?
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:And this passage kind of just reveals
The truth of that, I mean, it says
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:just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its
own, unless it remains on the vine, so
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:neither can you, unless you remain in me,
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:whoever remains in me and I in
him will bear much fruit because
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:without me, you can do nothing.
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:Oh gosh.
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:I mean, as somebody who like
prides themselves sometimes on
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:like how much they can get done in.
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:Um, how good they are multitasking
and handling a lot on their plate and,
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:you know, achieving a lot of things.
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:I don't know if this is you, if you
can relate to this, but I feel like our
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:culture is so obsessed with our to do
list, with productivity, with filling
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:our plate, with kind of out doing each
other on how much we have going on.
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:Um, this can be kind of hard to read.
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:It can be kind of hard to read.
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:Jesus's words that say,
without me, you can do nothing.
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:Imagine just like knowing you are
powerless, knowing any of your
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:efforts are a waste and mean nothing.
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:Um, if not without the Lord,
that can be kind of a hard truth
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:and a hard pill to swallow.
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:Because if I'm being honest with
myself, There are absolutely times
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:where I feel like I am trying to
do the work myself, and I'm not
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:actually welcoming Jesus into it.
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:I'm not actually actively
inviting Jesus into it.
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:So therefore it's, it's
kind of like wasted effort.
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:So I think that's the first takeaway
that we need to take from this
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:passage is just that baseline
understanding of like, we are human.
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:And we have a great need for the Lord.
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:We are mind, body, and soul, and our
soul is a very active part of who we are.
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:I think we forget that sometimes.
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:I think that because our soul is
this hidden piece of us that we
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:can't physically see, and a lot of
us maybe not be in tune with it.
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:We kind of can easily just Push it to
the side and feel like it's not there or
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:like the things that we do or don't do
don't actually affect it or don't play
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:into Just our spiritual life But I want
us to keep that at the forefront and just
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:realize like we're a body, mind and soul
Everything that we do in our life informs
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:and Each one of those components and the
Lord wants to be present in all of it.
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:He wants to be present, not just in your
prayer, but he wants to be present in
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:what you physically do in your life, in
your thoughts and your hopes and your
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:dreams, um, in your conversations and
your work and in all that you do and.
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:And let's just remember like in everything
that we do, let's invite the Lord into it.
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:Let's not try and do it ourselves.
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:Let's be that fruit on the branch
because we know if a fruit falls off
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:the branch before it's ripe, right?
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:It dies.
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:Um, so let's be that fruit on the branch.
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:Let's gain our strength, our nutrients,
our knowledge, our courage, our patience,
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:whatever it is, you're trying to grow in
right now or need more of in your life.
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:Draw it from the source of life,
draw it from your branch, right?
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:That gives you everything you
need to grow and bear fruit.
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:Don't try and do it alone.
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:Next thing I want to look at, that
always stands out to me, is verse 2.
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:He takes away every branch in me that does
not bear fruit, and every one that does,
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:he prunes, so that it bears more fruit.
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:Honestly, I feel like this passage,
like, seems nice when you read it the
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:first time, and then when you really dive
into it, you're like, Ah, this is hard.
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:Verse 2 literally says,
like, the Father, right?
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:Like, in His love, in His goodness,
He takes away certain branches.
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:He cuts them off if they're dead, if
they're not bearing fruit, maybe if
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:they're poisoned, if there's an illness
that's creeping up on the plant.
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:Like, he does not hesitate in cutting
branches off that are not bearing fruit.
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:And then, he goes even further
than that, and then, even the
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:ones that do bear fruit, he prunes
so that it bears more fruit.
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:Now, I'm no gardener.
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:Okay.
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:As much as I'd love to be, I am not yet.
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:Maybe one day, but I know that pruning
means that you are Like cutting off
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:certain leaves or certain flowers or kind
of like trimming the plant, even though
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:it is already bearing fruit, even though
it is growing tall and strong, like
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:you are cutting parts of the plant off.
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:You're trimming it in order
for it to thrive more.
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:And
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:okay, you guys I have Google pulled
up on my phone right now and I looked
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:up why does pruning help plants
grow more and First article that
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:comes up is from fine gardening.
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:com Pretty credible source in my opinion.
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:I don't know a lot about gardening, but
looks like this site does and it's called
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:the science of pruning and it says The
result of pruning is more vigorous spring
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:growth from those remaining Growing
points, so I think this is talking about
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:like pruning specifically in the winter
But it's saying like think of pruning
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:like holding your thumb over the end of
a garden hose With the same amount of
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:pressure, but a reduced opening you get a
much more forceful spray And then the next
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:article says by removing the apex, which I
think is like, kind of like the top part.
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:Um, pruning temporarily destroys
apical dominance and stimulates the
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:growth of lateral buds into shoots.
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:I'm going to translate this
in my very layman terms words.
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:Um, but it sounds like by pruning the
top, you're almost telling the plant
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:to like produce more to fill that gap.
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:Um, you're encouraging more growth.
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:And the Lord does this very
thing in our lives too.
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:The Lord sometimes needs to trim
certain parts of our lives that may not
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:necessarily be helping us bear fruit.
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:And then even the ways that we are, he
might be trimming them to be even better.
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:Right?
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:You might be trimming parts of us that
is growing, that is trying, that is
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:doing well to encourage even further
growth in whatever it is that we are
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:trying to strive for, to grow in.
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:And I think that we can just
relate this back to sin.
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:We know that sin, um, It's
a darkness in our lives that
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:pulls us away from the Lord.
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:And sometimes certain sins can
really take root in our lives, right?
324
:You can almost look at it as like a
weed that's growing in the garden that
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:can slowly take over if you don't pull
it up from its root, if you don't.
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:Try and remove it.
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:It spreads and it grows stronger
the longer you let it go on.
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:I think the same goes for sin.
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:And sometimes the Lord
snips these things away.
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:Often times he does.
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:And so this can look differently in your
life if there's maybe Something as, you
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:know, severe as like a vice that you
have or something that's continually
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:drawing you into mortal sin like,
uh, drunkenness or premarital sex or,
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:some sort of addiction
335
:be Something that is more subtle that
maybe you don't notice right away, but
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:maybe a bad relationship, a bad friendship
that's leading you away from God.
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:Maybe it's a career path
that's actually making you put.
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:Other things above the Lord are making you
change your morals or change your values.
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:Maybe it's something even smaller that
you might have not noticed before, but
340
:it's a show that you're watching that's
actually making you act differently or
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:maybe you don't even realize it, but it's
kind of making you think of the world in
342
:a different way, think of relationships
in a different way, think of yourself in
343
:a way that's not Christ like or making you
desire things that are not Christ like.
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:These are branches that the Father
will slowly try and strip away.
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:Why?
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:Because this is just the
process of sanctification.
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:This is just journey that we are on as
human beings, quite literally, just like
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:this is the journey that we're on on earth
to be sanctified, to be stripped of sin so
349
:that we can one day come face to face with
the Lord and say, I am completely yours.
350
:There's nothing in this
world that has hold over me.
351
:There is nothing that I am attached
to that I desire more than you.
352
:My greatest desire and my
entire heart belongs to you.
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:And my greatest desire is
to be with you for eternity.
354
:And while we may say that out loud,
there are things, there are layers
355
:in our heart that can pull us away
from that ultimate desire of heaven.
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:And that ultimate commitment to live
a Christ centered life, to live a life
357
:that is completely oriented towards
God, where you put him as a priority
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:above anything else in your life.
359
:So then the second part of this
line and everyone that does, he
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:prunes so that it bears more fruit.
361
:This one's tough, I feel like, um,
again, because we might continually
362
:experience like, okay, Lord, I know
this is a lesson you're trying to
363
:teach me and you're going through it
and you are sticking through with him.
364
:And then it comes up again a few years
later, like, The same struggle, the same
365
:thing the Lord's trying to teach you.
366
:And you're like, Lord, I
thought we already learned this.
367
:Like, I thought we already
went through this together.
368
:I thought I already overcame
this sin, or I thought I
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:already learned this new virtue.
370
:And like I said, the process of life,
just like the journey of life that we're
371
:on is continual, pruning, continual
sanctification, continual stripping
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:away of what we know the world to be,
and continuing orienting our hearts
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:and minds and soul towards God.
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:And so, for me personally,
I'll just give an example.
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:Um, I just think of surrender.
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:I just feel like there's been several
times in my life, even though I haven't
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:experienced great, great, great suffering
throughout my life, I would say just
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:like the cross that my husband and I are
going through right now of infertility
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:is biggest suffering that I have
experienced and no, there is no question
380
:that it requires so much surrender.
381
:I look back into my life and I see
all the little ways God asked me
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:to surrender and sort of taught
me what surrender looks like.
383
:What letting go and letting God really
really looked like that led me to this
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:moment and Not that's not to say that
I'm like living this out perfectly right
385
:now But I know that once we started going
through this struggle, I kind of looked
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:up at the Lord and I was like Really?
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:We're going to do this again?
388
:Like, I thought I already
learned surrender.
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:I thought I already
learned like how it goes.
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:And I even remember a few months
in, even a year in, I was like,
391
:okay, I know how to play this game.
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:Like I've done it before.
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:It looks like me just going to the
chapel, opening my hands and being
394
:like, okay, Lord, I surrender, do
what you will, your will may be done.
395
:I will do whatever you ask.
396
:And at first that was easy to say,
but it was easy to say because it
397
:wasn't actually the way my heart felt.
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:Actually mean those words when
I said it, I was just kind
399
:of trying to play the game.
400
:And I think this is an example of
the Lord pruning even what does bear
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:fruit so that there can be further
growth, deeper faith, more trust.
402
:Um, I know how to surrender.
403
:I've experienced surrender in
my life time and time again,
404
:in small ways and bigger ways.
405
:And yet we're at a crossroads once
more, where in a very big way, the
406
:Lord is asking, will you trust me?
407
:Will you surrender your will?
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:Maybe you can relate to
your life in this way.
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:Maybe it's not the same kind of struggle,
but lot of people's experience like, Lord,
410
:I do not know what you're doing here.
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:I do not know why you chose
me to suffer in this way.
412
:I do not know how it plays into your big
plan, your overall picture of my life.
413
:But within that, the Lord asks for our
trust and our surrender, no matter what,
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:no matter how big, no matter how small.
415
:And that's pruning this continual journey
of surrender that I feel like I've been on
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:each time is honestly deeper and deeper.
417
:And I'd be lying if I said there wasn't
growth coming from it because there is.
418
:That's where what we just read on
Google that when you trim parts of
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:the plant it Spurs deeper growth it
spurs more Growth within the plant
420
:because it's trying to shoot up.
421
:It's trying to fill that gap It's
trying to replace what was once there,
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:but with the Lord, we hope to replace
it with something better, right?
423
:so don't be surprised when The
Lord continues to trim your leaves
424
:when the Lord continues to chisel
away at you, to perfect you, to
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:make you more holy, because that's
just the life that we're on.
426
:And truly you can look at it in a way
that is negative, and you can look at it
427
:in a way that is hard, and it is hard.
428
:But it is also such a beautiful
journey, such a purifying
429
:and honestly can be joyful.
430
:It can be a joyful journey.
431
:And I say this from firsthand
experience of what we're going through
432
:right now for some reason, right?
433
:Because of God's perfect plan and
the way that he has orchestrated who
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:we are as human beings, body, mind,
soul, and relationship with him.
435
:This pruning that I have experienced
the past few years has brought
436
:joy in the most unexpected ways.
437
:Why is that?
438
:Because through this experience,
I have grown, I have grown in
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:deep intimacy with the Lord.
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:I know the Lord in a new way
that I didn't know before.
441
:I know his heart in a deeper
way that I didn't know before.
442
:I feel like in my inability to understand
God's reasoning through things.
443
:I have sort of come to a place of peace
and understanding of his heart of his
444
:desire to do everything for love for us
to bring us closer to him, which is the
445
:ultimate goal that we have here on earth.
446
:And I wouldn't have come to these
places, I wouldn't have found this
447
:depth and this joy in my relationship
with God if it wasn't for this
448
:pruning that I've been going through.
449
:So I just challenge you to view whatever
season of pruning you may be in, or you
450
:might experience or might've experienced
in the past with fresh eyes, with new
451
:eyes and recognizing that it comes
from a place of love from the Lord.
452
:Okay, and the last thing that I feel like
I want to touch on it kind of circles back
453
:to our first point of Remain in the Lord,
allow him to remain in you without him.
454
:We can do nothing.
455
:I want to talk about like, what does it
actually practically look like to remain
456
:in the Lord, to abide in the Lord, to.
457
:Live so closely intertwined to
the branch that you can bear fruit
458
:constantly and that your whole life is
oriented towards the branch, towards
459
:the Lord, towards the source of life.
460
:And truly where I feel like
this comes down to is prayer.
461
:Prayer is a gift that we are given.
462
:To be in relationship with the Lord, to
be in a deep personal relationship with
463
:the Lord, besides the sacraments, which
have a supernatural grace that brings
464
:us closer to God and sanctifies us.
465
:Besides that prayer is truly
the only way that we have.
466
:To come to know and speak to the Lord
and be in deep relationship with him
467
:So let's use it right like if this
is the main avenue that the Lord has
468
:given us To be in relationship with
him to be in communion with him.
469
:We need to be drawing from
that every single day.
470
:We need recognizing that to abide in him,
we need to literally abide in his word.
471
:We need to let our soul rest in his.
472
:We need to be constantly
drawing from him, from his.
473
:love from his grace, from his mercy.
474
:And so this looks like daily
prayer, you guys, to abide
475
:in him, to remain in him, um,
476
:to experience what he says in verse 11.
477
:I have told you this so that my joy may
be in you and your joy may be complete.
478
:We only experience that when we are
in perfect communion with the Lord.
479
:And I say perfect loosely, I
don't say perfect as in like, you
480
:are sinless, you are blameless.
481
:Um, you never, you know, stray away.
482
:That's, that's not realistic
for our humanity because we are
483
:human and the Lord knows that.
484
:And he doesn't expect that.
485
:I mean, perfect in.
486
:A perfect will to be in the Lord,
a perfect striving to be with him.
487
:It really comes down to striving.
488
:Are we striving to spend time with him?
489
:Are we striving to put him above
our phones, above our work, above
490
:our boyfriend or girlfriend or
family, even, or spouse, like that?
491
:Can he be number one in our lives?
492
:And what does that look like?
493
:Can we go to him and just bear our hearts
to him and invite him to bear everything
494
:with us that we're going through
and invite him to have a say in the
495
:decisions that we're making in our life.
496
:Um, maybe just to really even just
grow in friendship and come to know,
497
:like, Jesus, what is your heart?
498
:Like, who are you?
499
:Who are you?
500
:Who are you in my life?
501
:Who do you want to be in my life?
502
:The more that we.
503
:Seek him out and go to him daily,
the more you're going to feel.
504
:His presence in your life, the more
you're going to acknowledge his work
505
:in your heart and the more your eyes
are going to be open to the way that
506
:the Lord is working in your life.
507
:I think that's a misconception a lot
of us have of like, Oh, well, like God
508
:just doesn't really work in my life
the way he does and other people are
509
:like, I don't really like see these
like God winks or like God coincidences.
510
:These are just different terms
people use, um, to describe how
511
:God is working in their life.
512
:And some people might just be
like, well, those things just
513
:don't really happen to me.
514
:I would argue.
515
:That if you are not in prayer with
the Lord, if you are not seeking a
516
:relationship with him through prayer every
day, yeah, it's really hard to see the
517
:way he's working in your life because.
518
:You don't know him well enough to
recognize how he works in your life,
519
:and it's going to look different
in different people's lives.
520
:The way that he works in your
friend's life might not be the
521
:way that he works in yours.
522
:And until you get to know him and how he
wants to reveal himself in your heart and
523
:in your life, you won't see it outwardly.
524
:So prayer, you guys, I think this goes
back to prayer time and time again.
525
:Um
526
:and doing so will Allow you to bear much
fruit because we can't continue union
527
:with him in communion with the Lord and
not bear fruit That's just impossible.
528
:Like once you experience what the
effects of being united to Christ in
529
:your life, the effects of trying to
orient every part of your life towards
530
:Christ and starting your day with
prayer and rooting your life in prayer
531
:in God and relationship with God.
532
:You can't not bear fruit when you do that,
because the Lord himself is fruitful.
533
:The Lord himself is abundant
and is an overflowing spring
534
:of life and love and grace.
535
:And it pours forth into those who seek it.
536
:It pours forth into those who are
drawing from him as the source of life.
537
:I hope that this was
encouraging to you guys.
538
:I hope that this was a nice break
in your day to actually spend some
539
:time in prayer and in the word.
540
:And
541
:I hope that you can take
what you heard today.
542
:Into your life into your day throughout
the day and just let it resonate
543
:with you and kind of continue to chew
on How am I abiding with the Lord?
544
:How am I trying to do things with
him or maybe without him in what
545
:ways is the Lord asking me to?
546
:Further be pruned or to cut off certain
branches in my life that are not
547
:bringing me good that are not bringing
me fruit Take these and Reflections and
548
:questions into prayer, into your life.
549
:And just allow the Lord to speak into it.
550
:Just notice the way that he
is working in your heart.
551
:Notice the way that your heart feels
after this time of prayer together.
552
:Um, and just invite him to continue to.
553
:Reveal himself to you to continue
to reveal maybe what specifically in
554
:your life he's trying to point you to.
555
:This has been fun.
556
:You guys, this has been such a
different type of podcast today,
557
:but it's been a blessing for my
morning to start it out in the word.
558
:And I hope that it's been a blessing to
your day, whether you're hearing this
559
:in the morning, in the afternoon, in the
evening, um, whatever it might be for you.
560
:Um, I just pray that it was a blessing.
561
:And with that, um, I'm going to go
have a wonderful beach day today.
562
:I hope you have a wonderful day
and we'll see you next week.
