Minister’s Message: Reading God’s mind
Published 1:30 am Friday, March 27, 2026
I wish I could read God’s mind. I want to know how he thinks of me, what he expects of me, what his hopes are for my life. I think I would sleep easier at night if I knew I was on the right track.
Somehow the Gospel writer John read my mind. At the beginning of John 15, Jesus is having a conversation with his closest followers and he tells them (and us) what’s on God’s mind — what he thinks of them, what he expects of them, his hopes for their lives. He makes clear what I long to know:
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”
What does God think of me? God is like a vinegrower who wants to see my life yield abundant and beautiful fruit. He wants me to thrive, to flourish. So much so that he will connect his life to mine, abiding in me, so that I can know the depths of love that nourish and sustain life. Even in the hard parts of life, what Jesus calls “pruning,” the purpose is so that I might know more of God’s goodness.
What does God expect from me? There are a lot of ways I grew up hearing this question answered: go to church, pray and read the Bible each day, believe a certain set of doctrines, try to convert the culture, etc. Some of those are good things, but none of them are what Jesus points to here. What he says is “abide in me.” That’s it. That’s what God expects from me.
In case we are not sure what that “abiding” looks like, Jesus clarifies for us, too: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” And what is Jesus’ commandment? Verse 12: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” When we love like Jesus loved, we keep the command of God and so abide in him.
Alright, but what about the last part? What are God’s hopes for my life? Jesus frames it in terms of joy. “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Honestly, could I hope for anything better than complete joy? The more I sit with that image, the more I want what God wants for me.
In the end, no mind reading is required. I know what God thinks of me, what he expects of me, what his hopes are. Now whether I sleep easy or not, well, that’s really just a question of whether I’m abiding.
Joshua Gorenflo is the minister at Kenai Fellowship, Mile 8.5 on the Kenai Spur Highway. Worship is 11 a.m. on Sundays and is streamed live at kenaifellowship.com.
