At times when reading the Bible, it may be better for us to rest our minds and get a fresh understanding from others, such as reading the devotions from the famous preachers of the past. Today, we can easily get it from generative AI. Here is one from DeepSeek:
Devotion: Chosen, Appointed,
and Empowered
Scripture: "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 the Father in my
name, He will give you." (John 15:16, NIV)
1. The Divine Initiative:
"I Chose You"
Jesus flips our spiritual
assumptions upside down. We often think faith begins with our pursuit of God,
but He declares: "You did not choose me—I chose you." This
is the heartbeat of grace. Before you ever sought Him, He set His love on you
(Ephesians 1:4). Your place in His kingdom isn’t earned; it’s a gift. Rest in
this truth: You are wanted, known, and irrevocably loved by
the Creator.
2. The Purposeful Commission:
"Appointed to Bear Fruit"
God’s choice is never passive. He
appoints you "so that you might go and bear lasting fruit."
- "Go": Faith is active, not
stagnant. You’re sent into relationships, workplaces, and broken spaces.
- "Fruit": This is the visible mark
of abiding in Christ (John 15:5)—love, joy, peace, transformed lives,
justice, and disciples.
- "That will last": Cultural trends
fade; God’s work in and through you echoes in eternity.
🌱 Your purpose
isn’t self-fulfillment—it’s surrender to His mission.
3. The Promise of Power: Prayer
in His Name
The verse ends with a staggering
promise: "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give
you." This isn’t a blank check for personal desires. To
pray "in Jesus’ name" means:
- Alignment with His character and will (1
John 5:14).
- Dependence on His authority, not our merit.
- Focus on the mission: Ask for boldness,
opportunities, spiritual fruit, and resources to glorify Him.
When your heart beats for His
kingdom, heaven’s resources back you.
Reflection Questions:
- Identity: How does being chosen by
Christ reshape your self-worth or struggles with insecurity?
- Fruitfulness: What "lasting fruit"
is God growing through you right now? (e.g., patience, a mentee’s faith,
acts of justice)
- Prayer: What are you asking "in Jesus’
name" for His glory? Does it align with His mission?
Application:
- Identity: What one lie about your worth
or belonging will you reject this week because you are chosen by
Christ?
- Purpose: What is one practical step you
can take this week to intentionally "go" and be available for
God to bear lasting fruit through you?
- Empowerment: What specific,
mission-focused request will you bring to the Father "in Jesus'
name" this week (e.g., for an opportunity, for boldness, for a
resource, for a person's salvation)?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the staggering truth that You chose me before I
ever knew You. Help me rest completely in this grace, letting it dismantle my
insecurities and fuel my confidence in Christ.
Lord Jesus, You didn't just choose
me—You appointed me for a purpose. Awaken me daily to my
calling: to go into my world and bear lasting fruit—fruit
of transformed character, acts of radical love, and lives brought into Your
Kingdom. Keep me deeply connected to You, the Vine, for apart from You I can do
nothing.
Thank You for the promise that
whatever I ask in Your name, aligned with Your mission and
character, the Father will give. Give me boldness to ask for what advances Your
Kingdom: opportunities to serve, courage to speak, resources to share, and
perseverance to love. Align my desires with Yours.
May my life today be a living
response to Your choosing, Your commissioning, and Your empowering promise.
In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
Closing Thought:
You are chosen not
to bask in privilege, but to blaze with purpose. You are appointed not
to drift, but to bear eternal fruit. You are empowered not to
hoard, but to ask boldly for Heaven’s breakthrough. Walk today in the
confidence that the One who chose you will finish what He started (Philippians
1:6).
"We
love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). His choice fuels our
mission.
Deep Dive: Abiding in Christ
(The Key to Fruitfulness - John 15:4-5)
While John 15:16 focuses on our
election, appointment, and empowered prayer, verses 4-5 reveal the essential
condition for bearing lasting fruit: Abiding in Christ.
- "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." (John 15:4, NIV)
- "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." (John 15:5, NIV)
What Does "Abiding"
Look Like Practically?
- Intentional Connection: Daily prayer,
Scripture reading, worship – not as duty, but as life-giving communion.
- Obedience & Alignment: Responding
to the Spirit's promptings and aligning our will with His (John 15:10).
- Dependence: Recognizing our constant
need for His strength, wisdom, and grace. Acknowledging we can't do
it alone.
- Abiding in His Love: Resting in and
receiving His unconditional love (John 15:9), which becomes the motivation
and power for everything we do.
The Fruit Connection: Lasting
fruit isn't manufactured by our effort; it's the natural overflow of
a life intimately connected to Jesus. Our "appointment" (15:16) is
fulfilled only through sustained "abiding" (15:4-5).
The power for the mission flows from the intimacy of the relationship. Prayer
"in His name" (15:16) is the communication channel of the abiding
branch to the Vinedresser (the Father).
Reflection: How
healthy is your "connection to the Vine" right now? What one practice
can you strengthen this week to deepen your abiding in Christ?
As a Comparison, here is Google’s
AI on Oswald Chambers on John 15:16
Oswald Chambers, in his devotional
work My Utmost for His Highest, uses John 15:16 ("You did not choose Me,
but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that
your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may
give you.") to emphasize God's initiative in salvation and the believer's
call to a life of fruitfulness and dependence on God. He highlights that
salvation is not a result of human choice but God's sovereign election, and
that believers are chosen to bear lasting fruit and to rely on God's provision
through prayer.
Here's a more detailed breakdown
of Chambers's perspective on John 15:16:
Chambers emphasizes that the verse
highlights God's initiative in choosing believers, rather than the other way
around. This is a foundational truth for understanding Christian life and
discipleship.
- Fruitfulness and Dependence:
The verse also speaks of the call
to bear fruit and have that fruit remain. Chambers interprets this as a
call to a life of ongoing impact and a reliance on God's power and provision to
sustain that fruitfulness.
- Prayer as a Means of Grace:
The phrase "whatever you ask
the Father in My name He may give you" connects fruitfulness with
prayer. Chambers would likely see this as an encouragement to rely on
God's power and resources through prayer to accomplish His purposes in and
through the believer.
Chambers often speaks of God's
"overpowering purpose" in the believer's life. John 15:16, in
his view, illustrates this, showing that God's choice of the believer is not
just a one-time event but an ongoing process of shaping the believer for His
purposes.
Chambers would emphasize that
believers are devoted to a person (Jesus Christ) and not just a cause or a set
of doctrines. John 15:16 points to the personal relationship believers
have with Jesus, from whom their purpose and fruitfulness flow.
In essence, Chambers uses John
15:16 to underscore that believers are chosen by God for a purpose, called to
bear lasting fruit, and empowered to do so through prayer and a deep, abiding
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Chambers' devotion was similar to DeepSeek.
