Living In Love

“Remain in me.” Those three words from John 15 can sound peaceful and impossible at the same time. When schedules fill up, relationships get complicated, or disappointment creeps in, abiding in Christ can feel like a spiritual ideal instead of a daily practice.

I slow down with John 15:4–17 and read the passage in both the King James Version and the NIV, then talk through what Jesus is really saying about fruit, joy, and love that shows up in action.

We dig into what it looks like to stay in sync with Jesus through prayer, Scripture, and obedience. I share a personal pattern I’ve noticed: when I jump into work without praying, I get sluggish, make mistakes, and end up frustrated. When I start with Jesus, the words and ideas flow, and I’m reminded that dependence is not weakness, it’s connection.

That connection also reshapes how we see people, making it easier to love others through the lens of Christ.

Then we tackle a line that can confuse even faithful Christians: the idea that we can “ask whatever you wish” in Jesus’ name.

I unpack why context matters, why God’s answer may be “no,” and how abiding changes what we ask for in the first place.

If you want a clear, calming Christian podcast reflection on John 15, prayer, and spiritual growth, this one is for you.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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John 15:4-17 - King James Version
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

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You Are The Guru by Gabrielle Bernstein

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Transcript

Welcome And Where To Listen

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to the Christ Quarter Podcast. Thank you for taking a quarter of an hour out of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today, let's read a section of Scripture, discuss what it means, and also how it applies to our lives. I hope that God will speak to you through my words and more importantly through his scriptures, and will bring you closer to Him. I am blessed and thankful to have this time to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. The Christ Quarter is available on Amazon Music. Just ask your smart speaker or app to play the Christ Quarter Podcast. I'm also available on Apple Podcast, Google's Podcast, and Spotify.

John 15 Read In KJV

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Today's scripture selection is John chapter fifteen verses four through seventeen, and the King James Version reads as follows Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it will be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go forth and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you that ye love one another.

John 15 Read In NIV

SPEAKER_00 3:02

The NIV says it this way 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 remained 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.

Prayer For Understanding

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day, we thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you use these words to bring someone closer to you, and that you will touch their hearts to love others through action in your name. That each of us will do something to show love to their neighbor in action as well as in word. That each of us will do our best to represent you to the world. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Abide In Christ For Joy

SPEAKER_00 5:29

The verses for today are calming. In our verses today, Jesus is telling us to live in love, to bear fruit, and to experience joy. Jesus is telling us that we can do this by abiding or living in Him, by being in sync with Him. But how do we know when we are in sync with Jesus? We must read and listen to His Word and follow His commandments. If we marinate ourselves in God's word and grow in our understanding of the Word, we will soften our hearts and live our lives more like Jesus lived his, and we will be more in sync with Him. We will then experience greater, longer lasting joy in our lives. Let's get right to it.

When Prayer Comes First

SPEAKER_00 6:18

As I'm reading God's Holy Word today and trying to understand what I'm supposed to learn, I'm reminded that the days that I enjoy preparing for this podcast and recording it are the days that I make a point to start out with prayer. When I start out with whatever I have in mind to say, the words are sluggish and slow, but when I start with Jesus and ask him to guide my mind and my words, things go much smoother and they go much quicker. The days when I jump into working on this podcast or anything really without praying first are the days when I make mistakes, become frustrated, and end up stopping before I'm anywhere near finished. Eventually I'll remember that I forgot to talk with God about things first. I will then go to Him in prayer, ask forgiveness, and start again. Then things begin to flow. I get new ideas, other people will help out. Sometimes people who were actively working against me would call me and offer to work with me or to give me the resources I had been asking for that they had previously refused to give me access to. This happened to me once when I was praying with a relative about a situation that had just happened to me. I was very upset. The event had just happened less than an hour prior, and my relative called me without knowing about what had happened. While we were praying, the person called me and left a voicemail offering me everything I had been requesting and more. Not only did this improve my day by giving me exactly what I needed in that moment, not only did it increase my joy tremendously and my relatives, but it increased both our faiths. We were both so blessed by seeing God work in our lives so directly and so quickly. It was not the first time we experienced God's touch in our lives, nor was it the last. But I remember that particular time because I was in such a low place and in such need. The memory of that one morning has given me strength and joy many times. This is an example of what our verse is telling us today. If we stay in Jesus by staying in prayer and staying in his word, we will bear fruit and we will have great joy. Even when we see adversity approaching, we can look at it and say, Okay, Lord, what am I going to learn this time? How are you going to increase me this time? When we have this kind of view on our world, on our lives, we can have joy more fully and more consistently. And all of this stems from staying in Jesus.

Seeing People Through Love

SPEAKER_00 9:07

In her book, You Are the Guru, Gabrielle Bernstein urges her readers to see through the lens of love. I'm currently listening to her book, and so far it seems to be what I like to call undercover Christianity. In asking her readers to view the people that they encounter through the lens of love, she is asking them to view them through the lens of Jesus, who is love. And I agree with her. When we look at people through the lens of Jesus, it is much easier to see them as Jesus does, and to then love those people. This opens and softens our hearts so that we can more freely work in love and joy and in sync with Jesus.

What Ask In My Name Means

SPEAKER_00 9:56

This leads us to verse 16 of our scriptures today. This is the verse that many anti-Christians know, and that many confused Christians know. It has been brought up to me or in my presence many times. I have thought about it many times and wondered about what it means. It can be a very worrisome verse for Christians. This is the verse that seems to say that we as Christians can do anything, that whatever we ask God for and do so in Jesus' name, we will receive it. Well, okay, I want a million dollars. Where is it? At the same time, someone from my church who does not like me is praying that I lose what money I do have. How can we both get what we have just asked for in Jesus' name? As it is with many confusing and worrisome scriptures, we have to view the scripture, the statement, in context. Jesus is about to leave, and he is giving his disciples, his friends, information and instructions that they will need when they fully realize the task that they have before them. Jesus is telling them how to work, how to be fruitful, and how to remain joyful all at the same time. Part of how they do this is to, of course, dwell in Jesus and what he has taught them. But part of it is also to know what to do when they don't know what to do, when they need help. And it may be given to them. Notice that the verse says, He may give it to you. Suppose I pray and ask in Jesus' name that God give me a million dollars to buy a building to start a new church. The answer may well be no, because God knows that I would not be able to handle the temptations that come with that much money. Or maybe I am mature enough to handle those temptations, but I haven't learned enough about God or about leading to have a church. Either way, sometimes the best answer to our prayers is no. By dwelling in Jesus, we can meditate on what He would want us to do and what He would want us to ask for. We could then work fruitfully and enjoy receiving the resources we need to overcome unforeseen challenges because we would be in sync with Jesus and working on what God wants us to do.

Closing Thanks And Lord's Prayer

SPEAKER_00 12:47

That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debt to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Forever. Amen.