GROWING IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

Nothing is more important for a born

again child of God, than to grow in his knowledge of and relationship
with Jesus or else he will not enter the kingdom of God and will not
have eternal life. Jesus warned that He will say to many who were
born again and did many miracles, preached and even cast out demons
in His Name: ”Go away, I never knew you, you workers of
unrighteousness.”

Jesus said to His disciples: “You did
not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go
and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain,” John
15:16. The very same applies to us, who have received Jesus and been
born again and become His disciples. We read in John 15:1-10, Jesus
said:

1“I
am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2“Every
branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and
every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may
bear more fruit. 3“You
are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to
you. 4“Abide
in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless
it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide
in Me. 5“I am
the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he
bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If
anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries
up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are
burned. 7“If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you. 8“My
Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove
to be My disciples. 9“Just
as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My
love. 10“If
you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have
kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

We have to keep the commandments of
Jesus, His words as recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to abide
in His love. Do what Jesus commanded, repent, stop sinning, be holy,
be baptized in water. It does not stop there. Jesus gives the Holy
Spirit in those who obey His commandments and seek to please Him.
Jesus said: “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one
who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I
will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21.
Jesus will disclose Himself to you, reveal Himself to you. Him and
the Father will come and dwell in you: “If anyone loves Me, he will
keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him
and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23. The Father will also send
the Holy Spirit to dwell in you: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John
14:26.

Jesus explained to His disciples why He
had to go away, so that the Holy Spirit could be given to be in them
and in those who would believe in Him and receive Him after His death
and resurrection. While He was physically on earth He could only be
with a few people at a time but since the Holy Spirit was given on
the day of Pentecost He lives IN those who have received Him. He is
Emmanuel, God with us. We read in John 16:5-15 “But now I am going
to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You
going?’ 6“But
because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your
heart. 7“But I
tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I
do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will
send Him to you. 8“And
He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and
righteousness and judgment; 9concerning
sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10and
concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no
longer see Me; 11and
concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

      12“I
have many more things to say to you, but you cannot
bear them now. 13“But
when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the
truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He
hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to
come. 14“He
will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to
you. 15“All
things that the Father has are Mine;”us is not far away. He lives
IN THOSE who have received the Holy Spirit, those who LISTEN to Him .
They are led by the Holy Spirit. They do not act on their own
initiative and follow after their own plans. The DO the works that
Jesus prepared for them to do. They speak His words that He gives
them to say and therefor they can BEAR FRUIT for the kingdom of God.
They receive NEW REVELATION, previously not given or recorded in the
Bible. They WALK with God, they FOLLOW Jesus.

They are the mature children of God,
His sheep who LISTEN to His VOICE and follow Him and HE KNOWS THEM.
Have we through our obedience and our daily walk with Him grown up to
be mature children of God?  

May Jesus bless you.