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THE TAKEAWAY:

How to hang out with Jesus (pt. 1)– Reading scriptures regularly shows trust and investment in the relationship

THE MESSAGE:

Paul Sheldon is a renowned author who finds himself stranded in the snowy countryside after a car crash. He is rescued by his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes, who takes him to her secluded cabin to nurse his broken legs back to health. However, Paul soon realizes that he cannot leave the cabin and that Annie is extremely obsessed with his work. To secure his freedom and ensure his legs heal properly, he must write the ending to a book he never completed. This is the kind of fame that most writers would prefer to avoid.

Annie Wilkes is a devoted follower of Paul Sheldon’s writings, for better or worse. She feels she knows the author intimately through her connection to his writings. In a horror movie, that makes you a maniac, but in the spiritual sense, we should take a note from Annie Wilkes (at least the legal things she is doing).

To meet with Jesus and know his personality, agenda, and beliefs, you need to read scripture. You need to read about his backstory in the Old Testament, his mission in the Gospels, and his future in the letters. But you shouldn’t treat this like an employee handbook-read it once to say you did. To connect with Jesus and interact daily, you must continue a habit of reading scripture. This relationship is available early in the morning, after lunch, and late in the night, so there is never a bad time to connect with Jesus. We are not doing this to suck up to Jesus, but to truly refresh ourselves in his limitless character and to celebrate the relationship. The important part is making it a habit.

REFLECT OVER IT:

3 You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

Read: John 15:3-7

  1. Read over the text and circle any words or phrases that stood out to you. Why are they significant?
  2. How can regular scripture reading help obey Jesus’ command in the text?
  3. What are the key benefits of remaining in Jesus? What are the key consequences of distancing yourself from Jesus?
  4. What is your plan to remain in Jesus for the rest of the week?

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