Saturday January 2, 2021

As I enter into this time of prayer and reflection, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly; to recenter my scattered senses upon the presence of God.
Holy God, there are many voices I hear every day that can often be overwhelming.  In this moment, this First 15, I choose to hear your voice.  Speak to me God, I am listening.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

John 15:16,17

In today’s reading, Jesus is intensely personal.  Jesus is often personal. He is also extremely consistent in the call to follow Him, to be His disciple.  A disciple is simply one who believes in and follows Jesus.  To follow Jesus is to live the kind of life he taught and modeled for us.

What kind of life am I going to live in this new year?

The foundational truth here that guides that life is “Jesus has chosen us”, a choice with a command, a promise, and then a direction for all of life.

• That you might bear fruit
• Ask for anything in my name and it will be given to you
• Love each other

Maybe the most important thing to understand in this passage is that it is all connected. Bearing good fruit, loving others are both integrated into what we ask for from God. Love and making a Jesus difference directly feeds into the ways that God works in our lives.  

Celebrate that God has chosen you for a special life. Look for ways that you can bear fruit in day to day living. It doesn’t always have to be a big thing. Many little ways of bearing fruit change the world and us. Pray, pray, and then pray some more. God wants to work in our lives. And always, always choose love. Love is why God chose you and me.

When you are finished with your time of reflection, close out this time with this prayer. 

Jesus, thank you for choosing me to be one of your disciples and reminding me that I did not choose you. Thank you for being insistent in that choice even when I am too busy with the many choices, I make every day to remember that your choice of me must always come first. Show me ways I can touch the lives of others. In your name. Amen.