Staying Close to Jesus in Every Season - Your Nightly Scripture - July 5th

Staying Close to Jesus in Every Season

Evening Scripture

John 15
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Evening Reflection

Are there any sweeter words than the words Jesus speaks to us, calling us to remain, to stay forever connected to Him, and to let His life and love flow through us? Jesus has chosen and appointed us, and through Him, we have the promise of bearing lasting fruit that glorifies God; the kind of fruit that identifies us as being true followers of Christ. He tells us that we can ask the Father for anything, for whatever we wish in His name, and He will give it to us.

In our day and age, many of us don’t consider what it means to bear fruit, seeming like an outdated way of thinking, but bearing fruit is vital in our lives and is the goodness of God flowing through us. Jesus’ words carry, encourage, strengthen, and sustain us through every season of our lives, including times of drought, of sorrow, of loss, and persecution. Even when the world hates us, God’s words comfort us.

As Jesus assures us of His love, He also urges us to remain in His love, and when we do, it will overflow through us to love one another. As He commands us to do so, we accomplish it by keeping His commandments that lead us to a joy that benefits and completes our lives. Even when Jesus had to physically leave this earth, He was thinking of us and how He could stay close to us after His departure, by sending His Holy Spirit to live within us so that we’re never alone in this world.

Evening Prayer

God,
My heart’s desire is to stay close to You in every season of my life. You have chosen and called me to remain in You: to bear lasting fruit and to be connected to You forever. Fill me with Your joy and let it be complete in me today and every day. Help me to keep Your commandment to love one another. Lead me in asking You anything, so that You may be glorified. Let Your sweet words and promises comfort me when the world hates me, as it hated You. Lead me to walk in Your ways, strengthening me to lean on and follow the lead of Your Holy Spirit in my life.
Amen

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Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Mary Spickelmier 

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

Related Resource: Discouragement Often Comes after Calling | Ezra 3

In this episode of  The Bible Explained, Jen walks through Ezra chapter 3 and explores the Israelites’ return from exile as they begin rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. She highlights how the people, though fearful and greatly outnumbered, chose unity, obedience, and worship by first rebuilding the altar and restoring sacrifices to God. The episode focuses on the emotional moment when the temple foundation is laid—some rejoice with gratitude while others weep, remembering the former temple’s glory. Through passages in Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah, Jen emphasizes God’s encouragement not to “despise small beginnings,” reminding listeners that God often works through humble starts, difficult seasons, and imperfect circumstances. The episode closes with a practical encouragement: when God calls people to a purpose, opposition and discouragement will come, but faithful perseverance and trust in God’s presence are what carry the work forward. If this podcast helped you understand the Bible in a clearer way, be sure to follow The Bible Explained on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!