BE then DO - Part 1

Dan Schilling & Michael Blue explore John 15 to uncover what "abiding" and "producing much fruit" look like in daily life. The first episode of a 3-part series. This may free you from the bondage of feeling like you are "not doing enough" for God. #ThriveinChrist

Transcript

Dan Schilling: 0:07

Hey, welcome to the PG podcast where we help you hear God's voice, follow his lead and thrive as a disciple. I'm Dan Schilling. And I'll be one of your guides. Now let's get into today's topic. A welcome to the BG podcast. Michael, good to be with you again.

Michael Blue: 0:22

Dan, good to see you.

Dan Schilling: 0:24

But we're gonna jump right in again today. And you know, what's been continually on my heart, Mike, as we've been talking through the last couple of episodes here, that about here follow thrive. And that is not just a tagline for us, it really is a mantra. And really what's been on my heart, as we've been talking about thriving, the last couple times that we've been together, one of the things that's been stirring in me is that I can't thrive without following. And I can't follow without hearing. And I kind of work that backwards. And these issues that we've talked about here before that these things that are inhibiting us these obstacles, pride, money, and infidelity, these things that that are keeping me from hearing and falling, these aren't new, right, these have been going on since the beginning of time. And so we have issues that are of that sin, nature, pride, that desire to do what I want to do, and what that produces is bad fruit. And so today, we're going to talk a little bit about being connected to the vine and bearing good fruit. So before we get started, want you to pray for us and get us started for today.

Michael Blue: 1:41

Okay, loving Father, thank you for today and just opportunity to come together again and explore what it means to, to here follow and thrive. And so I pray that as we consider our ways that you would just lighten our steps that you would lighten our loads and allow us to freely follow after us so that we truly can thrive, no matter what's going on around us and in our lives. So do this today about our conversation and maybe draw it here to you in Jesus name. Amen.

Dan Schilling: 2:15

Amen. So I've got two points that we're going to really try to drive home today. The first one, Michael, and I know you and I've talked about this, you've done a lot of teaching around this too. And I think part of your book free to follow a lot of this content and around John, coming from there as well. You also have a 923 program, which we'll talk about in more detail. Hopefully you're coming up soon. As well, if folks were interested in being a part of something like that, that's a year long journey to becoming closer to Christ as a as a fully devoted disciple. But to for today, the two main points I really want is what we're going to try to get to this is what does a biting look like? Alright, so what does a biting look like? And the second thing we're going to really hit on today is What does producing fruit look like? So what does fruit look like in our life? How do we know? And how do we know for biting? Because we've talked about it, we hear it, but sometimes like Okay, so what does that look like? I mean, I don't use the term abide? Much in my vernacular today when I'm talking to people have been abiding here. You know, so, right. Give me a couple thoughts before we jump into this.

Michael Blue: 3:36

Yeah, I mean, even the concept of it feels you know, just just somewhat ethereal or just out there of okay, abide resting and God or, you know, being with and what is it? What does it mean to, to rest in something else I know how to rest and how to sit on the couch or take a nap or do something like that. But how do I rest in something? So yeah, I think these are important questions.

Dan Schilling: 4:03

Yeah, and so there's a term I'm going to probably hit so many times they folks, you're gonna get tired of hearing it. And I'm gonna keep driving around this thought so hopefully easy to remember. But alignment for assignment, alignment, before assignment. And so as we talked about a biting my grandma, you know, us, you know, farm boy growing up, and then we've had an orchard in the back yard of our farm when we lived in Ohio for all those years. And so a lot of these concepts make sense to me. But for many of us today, we didn't grew up around agriculture. You know, these things that Jesus would have been talking about that back then don't make a ton of sense to us because we didn't grew up around it. But as I think about alignment, and abiding an angular show me what are the How can I help folks to encourage them in this thought around alignment, before assignment, is that if the branch is out of alignment, meaning if it gets disjointed or disconnected from the main branch, then when it's like sometimes on a tree and get broke off, I drive around with a mower and snap it off, or what seems that gets snapped off, it's no longer remaining or biting or connected, then it dies. And it needs to be pruned. So today, we're going to go into this and so thinking about so are you ready to jump in this from Scripture?

Michael Blue: 5:29

Yeah, let's do it. Alright,

Dan Schilling: 5:31

so today we're gonna, the text we're gonna be looking at as John 15, we're gonna look at verses one through 14. And I want to just kind of summarize it with this, that this kind of this text is going to, essentially, it's gonna talk about staying close to me. So you can bear much fruit, that obedience to the Father brings joy, or you're going to thrive, and that we should love each other. And that when we're staying close bearing fruit, and we're walking in obedience, it actually evolves or produces fruit of loving one another. And one of the key verses we're going to try to touch on today, multiple times is that John 15, eight, which you will read in just a second, but when you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my father. And so we talked a couple of episodes ago, from Galatians, five about fruit of the Spirit. And so I believe that's part of it, but we'll try to look at some other aspects of what it looks like today. All right, so All right, let me let me bring up John 15 here and get back to verse one, if you want to start reading there sure,

Michael Blue: 6:48

says this I am the true grape vine. And my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit and he proves the branches that do bear fruit, so they will produce even more, you have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you remain in me and I will remain in you. For branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers, such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you might ask anything you want, and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit you are my true disciples and this brings great glory to my father.

Dan Schilling: 7:46

Great so let's just stop here for just a second. And a couple again verses here that when we want to highlight is this one here in verse eight, about producing much fruit that your mature disciples but I want to go back to a verse that I know you and I've talked about about in our discussions but really it's verse five when he says you know for apart from me, you can do nothing. And I was thinking about that this week and I thought you know what, we're gonna look at a another verse of scripture believe we're probably going to have a part two to this episode of Be then do is kind of the title we're going to use for this episode is be first right we want to be with him be aligned with him before we get our assignment. So what that alignment before assignment. So the Matthew seven is one of the scriptures we're gonna look at probably in part two, and it talks about these people coming and saying all the things that they were doing. But the problem was is they had missed the being part or the alignment before they got the assignment. And so what I think Jesus saying is is when you're not aligned with me you're not going to do able to do anything but these folks in Matthew seven could argue yes, yes, we did. Look, we prophesied we cast out demons, we did miracles of course we can do something. But I guess we have to look at what I believe he's saying here to us is that we can actually do nothing that actually is good. Good fruit, we can produce things, but is it really good fruit? So give me your thoughts on this

Michael Blue: 9:34

first portion? Yeah, well even thinking back to last episode where we talked about formation and kind of how our minds are formed and how that's a part of it, but it's you know, it's kind of this idea of our head, our hands and our heart like all of these things being formed but you know, my head what I know my hands but I do have a have an impact on on my heart, but ultimately it is it's all about transforming that heart and that I think We use the term, my visceral subconscious orientation to the world. Right? So this is what I think this is what fruit is it is that visceral subconscious orientation that's coming out in me. And so I think what you see in what Jesus rebuked a lot, and the New Testament, and what we see a lot today is we have a lot of really elite doers, people who are really, really, really good at doing as are the Pharisees, they're also really good at knowing they're these elite Knowers, they have all this knowledge. But it's so easy for us to disconnect those things from each other, both but then also from ultimately, the vinedresser, the gardener, the one who is actually the vine that's producing the fruit. So we're like, no, no, I got this fruit on my own. And I go, No, or I go do and I totally leave out the actual thing that will bring fruit and growth.

Dan Schilling: 10:58

So good. I was thinking about this a while back to is, you know, Jesus saying that he's the vine, and that My Father is the gardener. And just this thought hit me, you know, again, I'm a farmer, we had a garden for years to my boys could tell you how they hated the garden, you know, because they had to pull weeds and, and I felt what the Lord was showing me one time is, you know, whose job is it to pull the weeds? Is it the plant? Or the gardener? Like, well, obviously, it's the gardener. But sometimes we get in the doing business, right? We think it's our job as the vine to pull the weeds. It's like, no, that's, that's my father's job. My job is just to remain to be connected and allow him to complete the good work that he began in need. Let him be the one who's deciding what's a weed? And what's not. Because sometimes when we had a garden all those years, it's hard to tell sometimes. What What was the weed and what was good. Eventually, sometimes pretty easy, because the weeds outpace everything quickly, right? But this concept and thinking about our Father, he is the gardener, he knows what's best. He knows what needs to be pulled out. And there's, you know, the Scripture talks about when it says, Leave the weeds go, you know, we'll get it at harvest time. Right? Because you pull up the good and the and the bad. So, and it's his job. He's the one who does the pruning. He's the one who is really trying to see me Be fruitful and effective.

Michael Blue: 12:39

Yeah, and I think even as I think about our, our here, follow Thrive model that what we oftentimes substitute for following is striving. And I think, you know, you're kind of describing this idea of, we're striving. And I don't want to mislead and say, well, we don't, we don't work, we don't work hard, or we don't even pursue with all that we have. But there's a subtle difference. I think between that I'm trying to pull up all the fruit, I'm trying to do everything I'm striving I'm, I'm beating against the wind, if you will, I'm just I'm working so hard. And it's it's exhausting, it's tiring, and all of these things versus the following should lead us into thriving. Yes. And so that's really, I think, the tension we're trying to describe here, what does it mean to abide and what does actually mean to produce fruit? Because I can, I can, I can give you some great fake apples and great fake pears that we can put on the table. And you may not be able to tell the difference until you try to take a bite out of them. But they're not the same. I promise you that I've tried them both real apple is better than a plastic

Dan Schilling: 13:42

one. Little taste the wax sometime or something? Yeah. Yeah,

Michael Blue: 13:46

hurts the teeth. You know, you just bite in there.

Dan Schilling: 13:49

Yeah. Well, and Mike why he's thinking about this over the years that we had our orchard do. I said, you know, if a tree could talk, you know, any tree could say to me, Hey, I'm an apple tree. But eventually, if I spend enough time around that tree, I'm gonna want to see something I'm gonna want to see some apples right? And you know you could go have tie on some apples like that you're saying like a tie him on here make it look like I'm a real tree. And I think like you're saying many times we're we're, we're tying fruit on trying to make it look like we're a fruit producing tree. But it's really out of I love what you just said about the striving for and we want the appearance of something which is really what we're gonna hit next time. He I'm saying so many times may won't be next time but that Matthew says all the things that we're doing right and so the essence again is be in him remain in that alignment. If for I try to start going out and doing these other things and making myself look fruitful, which is again, I think what happens to a lot of us in Christendom, you know I you know it's so much more than just like this Morning exercise called devotions, right? It's so much more than just this. Hey, I read my Bible. I prayed. I did. I did. I did. I did. I did. I did. But the question is, what again, does this abiding look like? Yeah. Am I really?

Michael Blue: 15:18

Yeah. And I think about an orchard. I mean, if you if you picture an orchard, when you picture walking through, you know, peach trees, or apple trees, or whatever, does that feel stressful? Like you feel like that's gonna be a stressful place for me to be. I tend to think of orchards and places like that. It's pretty quiet, pretty peaceful, like men take a walk and an orchard, sit down, have a picnic, like it feels good. And I don't think that when I walk into an orchard, I get stressed out because I have these trees around me, that are like, all stressed out, they're like pushing, they're working. And they're like yelling, and they're not producing enough fruit. You know, that's not this. They're just, they're, they're, they're, they're, you know, taking nourishment from the soil. And fruit is a product. But it's, you know, it's that difference, I think between the natural product I don't I don't see these trees like striving to push out fruit that they produce fruit because of where they are. And what they Yes.

Dan Schilling: 16:16

Yes. Yeah, they're not stressing if it's if it's going to rain or not. I mean, they can be stressed if it doesn't rain, but they're not worried. If it doesn't, Sun doesn't come out. They're just being right, like they're connected. And when they're connected to the roots, and connected to the branches of the vine, they produce fruit. And that's really what Jesus again, reiterating here is, you know, that our father is the one who's in charge of what's good and what's bad. He'll prune things and or sometimes, I might have said this one other time. pastor friend years ago, he said, you know, they said, Hey, Lord, turn off the pruning shears, I'm almost a stump, you know, like, you're taking me down, you know, but sometimes he has to take us down. And we would do that sometimes in some of these trees, because they weren't producing good fruit. Right, improved significantly. So alright, well, let's, let's keep going on here. Let's get back into our Scripture starting in verse nine. I've started reading in there.

Michael Blue: 17:22

Yeah, alright, the first nine, I have loved you, even as the Father has loved me remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my father's commandments, and remain in his love. I have told you these things, so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow. This is my commandment Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love, than to lay down one's life for one's friends, you are my friends, if you do what I can make.

Dan Schilling: 17:56

So what I see here, Michael, as you start to look at what what's part of the fruit that's produced, is one of the main ones which we see in the Galatians. The first one is love. And our love for Him, is producing something, it produces obedience, just like Jesus's love for his father, because he was remaining are connected to him, that he obeyed His Father even unto death. And that he's calling us to that same love. Not only is it to love our Father, and show love toward him with obedience, but to show love towards one another in that same way is laying down our life. And one of the things we've talked about here, again, that I believe is keeping us from hearing God's voice is pride, which, in its essence, Andrew Murray's quote, that we'll probably say many, many, many times here is that, you know, the pride isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. And I think that's what Jesus modeled to us. He was thinking of himself less He laid down His life for us. And that same calling now for us, doesn't mean that I'm going to necessarily physically go get, you know, nailed to a cross, but I am going to give up my desires as the primary function of life in existence, right? Like I get to do what I want to do, my money, my time, my life, and that this calling as a disciple is calling me to a greater life which is going to produce much fruit.

Michael Blue: 19:51

Yeah, and I think of laying down our lives and the end even following the idea To display love or to thrive requires me to do something that's very countercultural to think of how I achieve those things, usually if I am I our culture tells us if I want to thrive, or if I want to show love, the primary way I do that is really to pursue myself or my passions or to find, find myself, you know, those types of things where I'm after me, ultimately. And that's how I can thrive or that's how I actually love is this total throwing off of any sort of submission or laying down anything at all but but Jesus tells us here in the Bible tells us that in order to thrive, I must submit and following in order to love, I must give up things that I rightfully, can take. And that's all throughout Scripture. And it's such a different perspective. It's kind of like this, this upside down kingdom that we see all over scripture, right? To gain to die is gain, to lose, to live as Christ and die as game these ideas of opposites that we would expect. But if I want to love if I want to abide if I want to thrive, one of the first things I think I do is I have to give off of self lay things down and come and then trust that actually the one who's leading me the one who's pruning, the one who's doing these things, will produce in me something that's way better than what I could pursue and gain on my own. Yes.

Dan Schilling: 21:33

Well, as you and I have talked, again, many times, you know, what, what's God really after? Right, he wants us to hear his voice. He wants us to follow him, which we see this obedience, he wants for us to thrive, which I look at this, you know, I've told you these things. So you'll be filled with joy that your joy will overflow to me. That's what thriving is a part of right that this love and joy and peace and patience and these fruits that he wants for us to experience, not apart from him, right? They're the byproduct of the Spirit of God in us, that's what Galatians is showing us, right? This is what happens when the Holy Spirit's in you, when you're abiding in him, you're going to have an outflow of him in you, which is going to produce these things called the fruits of the Spirit.

Michael Blue: 22:38

Right. And your you know, the word and this translation is remain, we use the word ABIDE and a lot of other translations is so whenever we have said, remain, that's also translated, abide. But as I think of even this picture of an orchard again, or whatever the grapevine the remaining is a rootedness there's a depth of connectedness into the source of nourishment. Right and so remaining is not like grabbing myself my roots up and you know, taking my roots and and why waddling off to a different pasture or a different orchard or whatever it is. It's, it's a rootedness in that in that place. Yes.

Dan Schilling: 23:19

Yeah. Well, and it's, you know, years ago, Michael, I may have told you this enough, we've talked about yet here on the podcast, but I'm notoriously cheap. I don't like to spend money. And I'm always looking for a deal. You know, like, Galatea is like trying to do all these things that are now looking back like man that was so foolish, but years ago, after I felt prompted by the Lord to plant an orchard, and I found a deal online and it was like 12 trees for like $100 Now normally trees are a lot more expensive than that. But it was a great deal. You know, these little trees came they are about the size of my pinky finger around when they came I'm like, you know, it's okay. Because you know, will might be longer till we get fruit but you know, it will train these trees up and, and so, well what happened was after about four or five years, I found out that the trees were actually bad stock or that they were poor quality. And so our apple trees, most of them never produced an apple larger than a walnut. And our air trees never produced a like a pear bigger than our fingernail and the cherry trees but but bears bigger or fingernail. And so I pruned and cared and pruned and cared for these trees for years. And I finally one year, I prune them back really hard. And I said, Boys, we're gonna give these trees one more year and see if they can produce fruit and you know what? That bad tree could never produce good. Fruit even when it was pruned. And so we had a little spiritual lesson that that next year with the chainsaw, this is what we did, right? We cut down the tree, and we put it in the bonfire. And we were just talking about that with the boys recently. And they said, Yeah, but we had a nice bonfire. One time, experience, right. But the point of all that here, again, is, as we've been looking at these passages the last couple of weeks about producing and so how do we help folks today if they're listening to Okay, so how do I apply? What does that biting look like? Because you said we're going to try to look at that. So what would you say to someone says, What does that biting look like? And what does then producing fruit? look like? Give me your thoughts on on that.

Michael Blue: 25:54

Yeah, so you know, we've talked a little around I think abiding and this resting in this remaining in this rootedness. And so when I think about abiding, I think about being in the presence of, so if I'm abiding and God he says, if if, if, if you abide Me, and My words abide in you ask whatever you wish, so there's a there's a combination, I think of that of my abiding in Him and His words abiding in me. So I have scripture, that's a part of how I abide and remain and rest in Him. You know, prayer I was reading this morning about in testimony and how to pray continually, right, this is, this is an attitude not of like, I'm literally on my knees in prayer. But this is an attitude, this is with God, I recognize that God is here and with me and everything that I do and say, and so he's a part of it. And so that's kind of my, my understanding as I go into. So my awareness of an acknowledgement of a reality that is, isn't that this presence is me, abiding in Him. And so it's effectively, you know, recognizing the soil that I am planted in, and being aware of it on a regular basis, as I do. So a lot of abiding for me comes into in the practical ways of, of how I am communing with God personally, and how I'm communing with God in community with other believers in Him, and so it's a presence, I think a lot of it is remaining in his presence in those ways. And so there's, there's a lot of ways I abide, certainly, but but the single most important thing is that it's, it's him that I'm focused on and remaining, and I don't know, what other thoughts would you have on that? Well,

Dan Schilling: 27:40

I, I, I appreciate what you said. Because it's true. I have been saying the same thing, you know, that prayer continually. It's not just a it's not a morning exercise, right? It's a, it's a posturing of the heart that I'm available for dialogue with the Holy Spirit 24/7 365 You know, I don't have this relationship where it's like, only when it's good for me, you know, like I got, I'll give you an hour in the morning, honey, you know, to my wife, if that was the case, like, Honey, you got an hour in the morning, but after that, my life is my life, and you go off to the corner, and I get to do whatever I want, with whoever I want. Think whatever I want. And then I'll come back and see you tomorrow morning. You know, it's like, Wait a minute. We were together. You know, we we were committed to one another we're not married for an hour a day. We're married. 24/7 365 so that remaining to me is I'm available if my wife even if she prayed called right now I'd have to pause the podcast and just to make sure she's okay. All right. So I'm available to her and if she needs me I want to be available and so I want to be available to the Holy Spirit. I want to be remaining in him I want to have a an ear attuned to His voice and if he calls me right now, they say okay, yeah, what what is what's on what's on the agenda, what's on your heart. And that's not just a morning thing or an evening thing or a Sunday morning or exercise it's a all day every day. And then when I am available to him one of the thoughts that I have about what producing fruit looks like is years ago again a farm boy thinking here is I felt God showing me my relationship with Sherry is that he said like you you have seeds in each of your pockets so to say in your pants and in one side you have corn seed and the others other buckets, you got fissile seed, and you're you're gonna get to choose what kind of seed you're going to sow sow into the soil of her heart. And if you choose the things of the flesh, which is what those thistle seeds are, you know if you don't know what thistles are, you know if you're part of the country, but they're like prickly things. Nobody likes to be around them right? And if you scatter them, you have a choice, you can leave them there, but these little tiny seeds, they're hard to go pick out. And it's gonna go up and going to produce thistles. But you'd be a fool than to think that you can throw thistle seeds into her heart and not expect to reap something. And so to me what producing fruit then has to be is there's times when the Holy Spirit speaking to me even still today, when I'm angry or frustrated or something happens, and I literally have to say, okay, which, which pocket am I going to reach in right now? The one of the flash can grab some physical seeds, because she's upsetting me or she said something like, or did somebody didn't like, you know, I'm gonna throw these seeds, or am I gonna reach into this other pocket and the things of the Spirit? It's kind and gracious, and gentle, and loving, and, and, and long suffering, you know, all these different attributes of Gad? I have to choose which, which, which hand is going to be used today, the one of the spirit, or the one of them?

Michael Blue: 31:04

Right. Yeah, I mean, ultimately, it matters what we sow. And it matters, I think, also where we so so if we think about sowing seeds of the spirit, and in the fields of the world, right, and I think that's a lot of what we see of these, what I talked about earlier of elite doers, or elite knowers is somewhat of sowing a spiritual seed and in the world, because the fruit that I want from that is the accolades if the world the fruit I'm desiring is for man to tell me that I'm smarter, good or something, I'm wanting that fruit. And so in order to get it, I have to say that fruit in that field will produce it. Now, if I want the spiritual fruit. And I saw the spiritual seeds in that field, which may look, they're the same seeds. But I saw it in the right place. That's when I began to reap what Galatians talks about, of Zoho, a life eternal life, a life connected to God and the Spirit. And that's the fruit that really is that we're trying to produce. And so So yeah, this one that's that's looking for the world is looking for the satisfaction or the others looking for the father's looking for eternal benefit and reward. And so the way I look at it is totally different of what I look at in the other space.

Dan Schilling: 32:26

Yes. Well, it's so good I, I continue to look at examining my own wife, you know, how do I know if I'm producing fruit or not? And how do I know if I'm sowing corn seeds? Or if I'm sowing thistle seeds, and it doesn't take long, in my opinion, to look at my beer, and then look at life around me and see, is there fruit? Is there evidence of sowing the things of the Spirit in my life in my children in the relationships of the people around me? Or is there a lot of junk? And then wondering, why is there a lot of junk and and a half to examine, you know, what, what's creating this junk? And all of us have it right. I mean, it's not like, oh, gosh, I can't believe it. You know, like, I got weeds. Like, our father is that gardener, right? He wants to come and help us. He wants to pull those weeds. He's the one who knows what's weed and not, but are it really to me? How do I know if I'm producing fruit? Is? It is there is are the things of his spirit going on around me? Is there wisdom, knowledge, understanding is there love and joy and peace and patience is their, you know, words of knowledge, you know, whatever the things that I need in the midst of my day, because I'm walking in His presence, that when something tough comes when there's something coming at me, I'm not overwhelmed by it. But I'm actually I can still find a piece that can still find joy in the midst of a trial.

Michael Blue: 34:18

Yeah, I mean, fruit ultimately, if we think about it, it's it's the overflow of my heart, as opposed to the product of what I take. So I think too often we we look at, you know, fruit as you know, other salvations or something, you know, some other tangible thing that I can grab onto and point to and say, Look at my fruit, because you know, it's it's using this agricultural example. And so we think of apples or we think of grapes. But when we see in Galatians, talking about the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, right. These are things that are the overflow of my heart. And so when I when I think about producing fruit and identity Finding my life. It's much more my reaction to things than it is the things that I'm producing. So if I, you know, preach a sermon and nobody says anything about it, or someone does say something about and say, Man that was really good, is my heart is my Am I tugged in the direction of pride? Or am I tugged in the direction of praise? And am I thank God, thank you right for allowing me to be a part of that, or am I like, Yeah, I'm getting pretty good. Like that was a pretty good sermon. And so my contentment of resting in the father versus resting in the accolades of other people totally are the fruit to me that I recognize and see, okay, the fruit of the Spirit is working in me, because I have this place in this piece. And this contentment, it's not always there. But it certainly comes out in times like that, that I say, that's the fruit of the Spirit. And that's what I want, because of the just the ability to approach life and whatever it throws at you, and a very different way. And to me, that's thriving.

Dan Schilling: 36:08

When just, you know, we you and I've talked a little bit about, you know, we went through probably the most significant parenting challenge of our life a couple of months ago, right, as we were trying to get the ministry launched and all these things. And what God's showing me is like, then I'm not interested in you feeding sheep outside of the pen or finishing, you take care of the ones inside of the pen and your own boys. But in the midst of this, you know, what some you could look at as a tragedy. What I recognized in the midst of it was how the Holy Spirit was imparting to me day by day, step by step. Even though it was tough, even though it was hard, there was a piece of Yeah, he would give insight into things. You know, like, I don't think they're telling the truth here about this, I need that continue to ask some questions. And then we get uncover some more stuff. And it was like this whole journey. And I've just watched what the Spirit of God's done and in all honesty, what the majority the work was, he was continuing to work out the stuff in me because I'm the leader, right? I've been called to be the head, the Father and to reflect Him. And there were many ways I wasn't, and that's, Hey, welcome to The Club, right? We're all trying to grow in this and become more like Christ. But it's a it's a journey. Of, of experiencing that presence, like you talked about, I could I could sense His presence in different times, I sense that wisdom and how to handle it. What things to say, and there are times in the midst of it. I could say over the years with my wife, sometimes probably one of the best things he'd say to me is just keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything. Because I would probably say something that would be hurtful to them. And so that, to me, is what you know, part of the thriving is is how I can continue to show them what it looks like. As well as seeing the presence of God in needs. Yeah. Well, next time, we're going to probably have a part two, maybe a part three, who knows of this one, but we're really I'm gonna drive this point home, because I think it's so key for us in our journey, as followers of Jesus, that as disciples that are going to bear much fruit is that we have to be we have to remain in Him. Before we can do and sometimes we get so caught up in the do because that's again, this is human nature. Right. This is what the Pharisees did. This is what the Old Testament all these things, but what obey the walls and the rules and tell me what to do. And I believe God's always been about him desiring to have a relationship where we be together, that what we can do for him. So any final thoughts, Michael, before we wrap up for today?

Michael Blue: 39:05

Yeah, no, I think that's the, that's a really good good wrap up is the abiding is is the resting, it's the it's the becoming. It's the thriving and it's, it's yes, we follow Yes, we obey, because we're hearing his voice, but the we're effectively just becoming who we are, who he already says that we are. And that's, that's really, really a beautiful thing if we can grasp that identity that we have in Him and that he's he's drawing us into to produce the fruit himself in our lives of who he already says that we are.

Dan Schilling: 39:46

Well, next time what I'm going to do is share with you all that just last week, I was telling Michael before we got on today, that I woke up at four o'clock in the morning having an anxiety attack. And so I want to share with you Is the scripture out of Matthew 11, that God spoke to my heart, and then a story, and some research that I did around oxen, and a yoke, and it's fascinating stuff. So we're gonna talk about that next time. But again, to wrap up for today, I want to go back to our points is that the goal for today is What does abiding look like and we want to continue to drive that abiding, is what happens when we are in alignment with the Spirit, we get a line with him. That's what that desire, that abiding that staying connected to him. And that when we are staying connected to him, that's when fruit comes. So that's what we want to focus on, even in our time, next episode, as well. So couple action steps for you. Again, I just want to encourage you, as we talk about each one these times and start to ask the Holy Spirit M M, I, am I abiding in you? Am I in alignment with you? So even now, maybe you just take some time as we wrap up and just start asking that question. Holy Spirit, is that what's Is there something keeping me from it? Is there anything that's keeping me from that? And then we I mentioned this one lay other times, but if you'd be so bold and courageous to do this as maybe ask somebody else in your circle of friends, family, accountability partner, somebody, you know, to ask them, Do you see anything in me? That's keeping me from biting or resting or remaining in him. That's keeping me really from thriving, because when we're not abiding, we're not gonna thrive. So Michael, I know you opened a prayer bomb and actually even close the prayer today. It's a great job.

Michael Blue: 41:46

Great, God, you're good and we do long for a desire to abide. And to bear fruit bear much fruit as this scripture says. So just I pray that we wouldn't focus on the the bearing of much fruit first would focus on the abiding and aligning with you as we do learn to follow and as we do trust you to produce fruit to just produce in us people who can rest in you and can trust you and truly do long for the eternal fruit that you promise instead of the temporal stuff. We love you and thank you for this time, Jesus name. Amen.

Dan Schilling: 42:22

Michael, thank you again, always a pleasure to be with you. Thank you all for joining us. I look forward to having you with us next time. God bless you.