Jesus invites all of us to follow him. This isn't a one-time invitation, but a daily call to join Jesus and His work in the world! 

When we talk about following Jesus at Southland, we often refer to the Triangle. The most important piece of that triangle is living life With Jesus. Our life of following Jesus begins with surrendering to Him, placing our faith and trust in Him for the forgiveness of our sins, and identifying with Him in the waters of baptism. We receive His Holy Spirit and the power to walk in new life. But the journey doesn't stop there! 

In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." We can do a lot of things FOR Jesus without resting IN Jesus. In this passage, Jesus is telling us that if we want to do lasting work for His Kingdom, if we want to experience change deep within our hearts, it won't come by our own effort or striving. It will come as we abide in Him and give Him access to every area of our lives. Can you imagine someone buying apples at the grocery store and trying to glue them to branches on an apple tree? Of course not! In the same way, Jesus tells us that we cannot produce spiritual fruit on our own. Jesus invites us into a living relationship with Him where He changes us from the inside out as we get to know Him better. And that changes the way we live in community and on mission!

Tomorrow, check out our Nicholasville Campus facebook group in the afternoon to watch my interview with my friend Tracie Tackett to hear how she abides in Jesus!