Anderson Hills

The Holy Spirit is the One who dwells in us, guides us, and convicts us of sin. We could not live a holy life without His power. However, we cannot experience His power without totally yielding to Him. From the moment of spiritual birth, the Holy Spirit indwells, or resides in, every Christian. But to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, we must, as an act of our wills, completely surrender our lives in obedience to Christ. Many believers experience episodes of contact with the Spirit rather than the fullness of the Spirit in their lives. They may have periods of victory followed quickly by seasons of spiritual defeat. This is frustrating and discouraging. By surrendering fully to the Spirit, we can live a truly transformed life in which the Spirit guides our thoughts, words, and actions

Jesus gives us a brilliant picture of what it looks like when people on earth live in abiding trust and dependence on an unseen God who is in heaven. The image of a vineyard overflowing with grapes is the metaphor Jesus chooses to talk about how His disciples must depend on Him. Dependence is the fruit of trust. Do you trust Jesus enough to surrender to Him as Lord? If Jesus is Lord, what kind of pruning needs to happen in your life? Are you bearing kingdom fruit, or is it fruit that doesn’t require your dependence on Jesus? Jesus is teaching that abounding in Him is not about life enhancement, but that it is life support

Jesus gives us a brilliant picture of what it looks like when people on earth live in abiding trust and dependence on an unseen God who is in heaven. The image of a vineyard overflowing with grapes is the metaphor Jesus chooses to talk about how His disciples must depend on Him. Dependence is the fruit of trust. Do you trust Jesus enough to surrender to Him as Lord? If Jesus is Lord, what kind of pruning needs to happen in your life? Are you bearing kingdom fruit, or is it fruit that doesn’t require your dependence on Jesus? Jesus is teaching that abounding in Him is not about life enhancement, but that it is life support

The rich young man, wanting to know how to inherit eternal life, was given an answer that he could not accept. While giving up all material possessions is not normative for every person, full surrender is expected of every person. We want surrender on our own terms, but that is not how it works. There has never been a harder time for the church to hear these verses, as we have more material things than we have ever had. Regardless of our financial situation, our riches can get in the way. Jesus wants to be Lord of every area of your life. There’s no such thing as a part-time Lord. Ask Jesus what needs to be surrendered in your life. The answer will be different for each of us, and what you gain in return is worth way more than what it costs you

The rich young man, wanting to know how to inherit eternal life, was given an answer that he could not accept. While giving up all material possessions is not normative for every person, full surrender is expected of every person. We want surrender on our own terms, but that is not how it works. There has never been a harder time for the church to hear these verses, as we have more material things than we have ever had. Regardless of our financial situation, our riches can get in the way. Jesus wants to be Lord of every area of your life. There’s no such thing as a part-time Lord. Ask Jesus what needs to be surrendered in your life. The answer will be different for each of us, and what you gain in return is worth way more than what it costs you

In John 14, Jesus shares with His disciples the important truths of who He is, the great work that they will do, and the help He will give them. When the disciples truly believe and embrace these truths, they will see Jesus for who He is as God in the flesh. They will see that the greatest work they can do is sharing the Gospel message and bringing others to belief in Jesus. They will also see that God will help them accomplish this work through answering prayers that seek to glorify God and accomplish His will in this world. So it is with us. When we believe in Jesus and what He came to accomplish for the sake of all people, our perspective changes and we understand that believing is seeing. Jesus and the Father are living in us and acting through us

Jesus was tenderly preparing the disciples for His death. He was going to leave them, and though they could not journey with Him, the door was open for them to follow and be with Him again. The new commandment He gave them may not have seemed new —it was a commonplace principle based on the Law. So what made it new? The new commandment was not the Law but one of grace. It was based on the establishment of a new covenant, a new Passover, sealed by Jesus’ own blood. And in keeping this commandment, the Spirit of Jesus would live through His disciples, drawing them together in a vibrant, living community that is stronger than life or death.

Jesus was tenderly preparing the disciples for His death. He was going to leave them, and though they could not journey with Him, the door was open for them to follow and be with Him again. The new commandment He gave them may not have seemed new —it was a commonplace principle based on the Law. So what made it new? The new commandment was not the Law but one of grace. It was based on the establishment of a new covenant, a new Passover, sealed by Jesus’ own blood. And in keeping this commandment, the Spirit of Jesus would live through His disciples, drawing them together in a vibrant, living community that is stronger than life or death.

Jesus was tenderly preparing the disciples for His death. He was going to leave them, and though they could not journey with Him, the door was open for them to follow and be with Him again. The new commandment He gave them may not have seemed new —it was a commonplace principle based on the Law. So what made it new? The new commandment was not the Law but one of grace. It was based on the establishment of a new covenant, a new Passover, sealed by Jesus’ own blood. And in keeping this commandment, the Spirit of Jesus would live through His disciples, drawing them together in a vibrant, living community that is stronger than life or death

Jesus was tenderly preparing the disciples for His death. He was going to leave them, and though they could not journey with Him, the door was open for them to follow and be with Him again. The new commandment He gave them may not have seemed new —it was a commonplace principle based on the Law. So what made it new? The new commandment was not the Law but one of grace. It was based on the establishment of a new covenant, a new Passover, sealed by Jesus’ own blood. And in keeping this commandment, the Spirit of Jesus would live through His disciples, drawing them together in a vibrant, living community that is stronger than life or death