My Loving Savior, in the same way that Your Father gave me the gift of You, I give You the gift of myself. In doing so, I have committed to remain in You through loving deeds and living according to Your truths. Just how will I do that? By loving the unlovable; helping those in need; bringing Your light into the darkness that engulfs the world; and being there for others. You have given Yourself completely to me … I must learn to do the same for You. I need You to continually infuse me with Yourself so that I can grow into someone like You. I acknowledge that I am nothing without You working in me. I cannot even take a breath unless You will it. You never ask me to do more than I can do so I will undertake each of Your commands with joy and exuberance. I will do everything You ask of me trusting that You will give me the grace I need to accomplish it.
Clearly You want my actions to show the same manner of love that You have shown to me. You have called me to be generous with my time, talents and resources knowing I cannot outgive You. If I do not love others as I should, how will I escape the gnawing cries of my conscious? I think it comes by focusing on how much You have given to me because You love me so much. Like the Father giving You to me, I must unselfishly give of myself to others and doing good. When I give with the same spirit as the Father and You, I can come to You without fear, and with confidence, knowing my requests will be heard. I can expect to be given the desires of my heart because I am being obedient and doing what pleases You. My desire is to pattern my life after Yours and become more like You by uniting myself to You. I believe with all my heart that as I live, loving like You do, loving will become natural for me.
I want to be fruitful in doing the work You have asked of me here on earth. I want to be a light showing the way to Your goodness. As the gardener of life, I expect that You will prune away my flaws so I can grow to be more like You. I understand that sometimes You will have to discipline me to strengthen my character and faith. When I choose to not bear fruit by blocking Your efforts to reach my heart, I am cutting myself off from Your life-giving power. Remaining in You involves … a belief that You are the Son of God sent to save me … doing what You ask … believing Your Word is truth … giving of myself in loving service … and praying continually. I know that the only way to lead a good life is by remaining close to You. Apart from You, my efforts are fleeting and have no lasting impact. In bearing fruit, I show You and the Father my appreciation for the gift of You. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
John 15:8 This is my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.