ANCHOR DEVOTIONAL - ATTACHED AT THE VINE

ANCHOR DEVOTIONAL - ATTACHED AT THE VINE

"I am the vine; you are the branches... apart from me you can do nothing."
(JOHN 15:5) 

Not long ago, my husband gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The kids were mesmerized by them. As the week progressed, however, they began to look tired and started dropping their petals. Eventually, I had to throw them out. Eli asked me why these flowers died, but our plants stay alive and healthy. "The flowers have been cut off," I explained. "They are no longer part of a root that keeps them alive."

When Jesus tells us that we can do nothing apart from Him, it goes against our cultural sensibilities. We live in a culture that says with enough hard work and determination, you can do anything. But Jesus says, "False. Apart from me, you can do nothing." What can a branch, blossom, or piece of fruit do once it has been separated from the rest of the tree? Nothing. It has no life source. It stops growing. It dies. If we are not rooted in the Vine, Jesus Christ, we are like my beautiful bouquet that slowly wilts and dies. All our efforts get us nowhere unless we are still rooted in Christ, the True Vine.


SCRIPTURE FOCUS

John 15:1-17


INSIGHT

OUR EFFORTS WILL ONLY RESULT IN FRUIT IF WE ARE TRULY ATTACHED TO THE VINE. REMAIN IN HIM!


READ THROUGH THE BIBLE

Jeremiah 21-22
Psalm 114
1 Corinthians 3-4

ANCHOR DEVOTIONAL - WHAT'S IN A NAME?

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."  (ISAIAH 43:1B) 

Have you ever been surprised in a public place when you suddenly hear your name called out? It can make your heart jump, especially if you're a long ways from home and far from anyone you know. I  remember walking the streets of Chicago when someone from my little home church in Eastern Canada saw me and yelled, "Andrea!" I was shocked - but also relieved - to be known by someone in such a busy and unfamiliar place!

Our world can feel busy and unfamiliar. Our world numbers us and gives us codes and uses our account numbers instead of our names. Increasingly, we feel less like individuals and more like numbers in a line. It is a great gift (and relief!) to be known by name, not just by the people in our lives, but by the very God who flung each star into the universe. He knows every star, yet He can name you. We laugh when my dad forgets my name from time to time and calls me a few of his sisters' names first. But God, who forgets your sins, will not forget your name. He has it engraved on the palm of His hands.


SCRIPTURE FOCUS

Isaiah 43:1-7


INSIGHT

"SATAN KNOWS YOUR NAME, BUT CALLS YOU BY YOUR SIN. JESUS KNOWS YOUR SIN, BUT CALLS YOU BY YOUR NAME."
(DAVID STONE)


READ THROUGH THE BIBLE

Jeremiah 19-20
Psalm 113
1 Corinthians 1-2

ANCHOR DEVOTIONAL - GOOD DISCIPLINE 10.21.14

"...Do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves..."
(HEBREWS 12:5-6) 

I have a rule when I am in the grocery store with my kids: do not touch the fruit! These colorful displays of lovely looking food seem to scream, "Touch me! Handle me! Throw me!" If my kids forget, their consequence is NO COOKIE when we get to the bakery. Tough love, right? One day we saw another child handling the fuzzy kiwis, squeezing them in his palms. My kids told me to do something about it. But of course, I wasn't going to discipline that boy. He wasn't mine. You only discipline those who belong to you.

In the same way, God's discipline is good news for us: it means we belong to Him. He disciplines us because we are His. He is the author of our faith, but also the finisher of it, and He knows the kind of discipline that will get us to where He wants us to be. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (v.10). This ongoing process of sanctification and discipline isn't always fun. It is tough love. But it is indeed love, and it's from a Father who loves us and calls us His own.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Hebrews 12:1-12


INSIGHT
YOU DON'T DISCIPLINE OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS BECAUSE THEY DON'T BELONG TO YOU. GOD DISCIPLINES THOSE WHO BELONG TO HIM!


READ THROUGH THE BIBLE
Jeremiah 17-18
Psalm 112
Romans 15-16

Soothe Words

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. (Prov. 15:4)

Still - Hillsong

Verse I:

 C   G/B   Am
Hide  me  now
   F   D/F#    Gsus  G
Under  Your  wings
C/E   F
Cover me
   Dm7               G
Within  Your mighty hand

Chorus:

C/E              F          G     Csus  C
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
                  F    G         Am
I will soar with You above the storm
C/E               F    G       Csus C
Father, You are king over the flood
G/B          F/A           G/B      F
I   will be still and know You are God

Verse II [same chords as verse I]:

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust

Chorus:

C/E              F          G     Csus  C
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
                  F    G         Am
I will soar with You above the storm
C/E               F    G       Csus C
Father, You are king over the flood
G/B          F/A           G/B      F
I   will be still and know You are God

Instrumental [play x3]:

F  Am  C/G  G

Ending Chorus:

C/E              F          G     Csus  C
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
                  F    G         Am
I will soar with You above the storm
C/E               F    G       Csus C
Father, You are king over the flood
G/B          F/A           G/B      C
I   will be still and know You are God
C/E              F          G     Csus  C
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
                  F    G         Am
I will soar with You above the storm
C/E               F    G       Csus C
Father, You are king over the flood
G/B          F/A           G/B      F
I   will be still and know You are God

YOU ARE MY FATHER

CAPO 6

Intro: C G/B F C F C D

Verse 1:
CM7 G/B Dsus4 D
It doesn't matter where I run, You're there for me
CM7 G/B Dsus4 D
It doesn't matter what I've done Your love's for me
Em G/D C G/B
You wipe away the tears, You lift me when I fall
Am7 Dsus4 D
My life is safe by the mercy of Your grace

Verse 2:
CM7 G/B Dsus4 D
It doesn't matter where I go, You walk with me
CM7 G/B Dsus4 D
It doesn't matter when I fall, You cover me
Em G/D C G/B
You wipe away the tears, You lift me when I fall
Am7 Dsus4 D
My life is safe by the mercy of Your grace

Chorus:
G D/F#
You are my Father, Provider
CM7 D
You're my Deliverer
Em7 G/B
Your mercies embrace me, surround me
CM7 D
Through Your everlasting love
Em7 G/D C
Father I worship You
G C/G G
Father I worship You

Bridge:
Em
And Your love is for me
Csus2
And Your love is for me
G/B D
And Your love is forever

Ending:
G/B C
Father I worship You
G/B C
Father I worship You
Em7 D C
Father I worship You
Em7 D C
Father I worship You
G
Father I worship You

Consuming Fire - Hillsong

Verse 1
Em7                    D/F#        G
There must be more than this
C                Em7            D/F#       C    
O breath of God come breathe within
Em7                D/F#        G
There must be more than this
C           Em7       D          C
Spirit of God we wait for You
Am7     G/B         D
Fill us anew, we pray
Am7      G/B         D
Fill us anew, we pray

Chorus
                  G                 D/F#
Consuming Fire, fan into flame
    Em7                  C
a passion for Your name
              G                    D/F#
Spirit of God, fall in this place
                         Em7                             C
Lord, have Your way, Lord, have Your way

with us

Verse 2
Em7              D/F#     G
Come like a rushing wind
C                 Em7    D          C
Clothe us in power from on high
G                  D/F#     G
Now set the captives free
C              Em7         D            C
Leave us abandoned to Your praise
Am7                    G/B    D
Lord, let Your glory fall
Am7                     G/B   D
Lord, let Your glory fall

(REPEAT CHORUS)


-----------------------------------------------
You can also try those chords:

Verse 1:
Dm-C-F-Dm-C-Bd
Dm-C-F-Dm-C-Bd
Gm-Em7-C
Gm-Em7-C

Chorus:
F-C-Dm-Bb
F-C-Dm-C-Bb

Verse 2: (Same chords on Verse 1)