Truly, it is a wonderful thing to be able to ask God for needs that we encounter. Nevertheless, God wants our relationship to be much deeper and closer that just that. Many Christians get so caught up in the things of this life (even good things), that their interaction with God becomes almost like this:

“Lord, I would like to place an order. Please give me peace of mind on Monday, physical healing on Tuesday, and financial help on Wednesday. Amen.”

Perhaps we might even send Him a Thank You note saying, “Thank You for that blessing you gave me last month.”

And this becomes our whole relationship with God. Our heavenly Father loves us just as we are, and He wants His children to come and spend time with Him. Rather than being always wrapped up in our needs, we should take time to be with the Lord to talk with Him and let Him talk with us. Jesus wants to be your closest friend.

In John 15:1-15, Jesus describes this relationship. Read it, and we will observe what He says.

Look up the scriptures and answer the following questions to learn what it means to abide in Jesus. If you have any thoughts you would want to share, feel free to post them to the discussion group.