Seek FirstSample

Seek First at Home

After having a powerful encounter with God, at something like Dreaming the Impossible youth festival. It can feel a little discouraging to return home and slip back into old habits. But this doesn’t mean the encounter wasn’t real or that we’re not ‘super Christians’?

These encounters with God are not finish-line moments in our lives but rather pit-stop moments where we ‘refuel’ spiritually to keep running the race.

In John 15, Jesus’ teachings on the vine and the branches show us that real growth in fruitfulness can only happen when we remain connected to the Vine – Jesus.

In contrast, no connection means no remaining, and no remaining means no lasting fruit (John 15:1-4).

So, how do we remain?

New life transformation is sustained through the building of hourly, daily, and weekly rhythms called spiritual disciplines.

Here are four spiritual disciplines:

1) Studying the Bible – God uses it to prune us and speak life into our lives (John 15:3).

2) Prayer – this allows God to work in and through us as we stay close to him (Matthew 6:9-13).

3) Service – reshapes our hearts as we serve others just as Jesus sacrificed his life for us (John 15:12-14; Matthew 25:40).

4) Connecting with the Church – grounds us in community with God, enabling us to bear lasting fruit (Mark 12:30-31).

These disciplines are pathways to the Source of Life; only through a love for Jesus can we remain connected to him.

The call is simple but costly:

- Choose connection over isolation,

- Belief over feelings,

- Faithfulness over hype.

And years from now, by God’s grace, we will still be able to say: we remained.

Questions

Which of the four practices, studying the bible, prayer, service, or connecting with the church, do you struggle with most right now? Why?

What is one small, realistic habit you could start this week to help you remain connected to Jesus?

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your perfect love. Please grow in me a greater love for your word, a greater desire to pray, a more compassionate heart to serve, and greater courage to connect with your Church. Jesus, I want to be more like you, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, I choose to remain in you! Amen.