We have been
talking about what we do now as Christians given that Jesus is RISEN…
In line with
the thought about what we do, we need to grasp the concept that outside of Christ, we will never be all
we were called to be.
John
15:1-17
In this
scripture, we are given a number of key components to following Christ and
becoming more like Him. He is telling us
several things that we could easily overlook if we are not careful.
First, he
gives us this concept of abiding…What does it mean to abide…to remain…to
continually be there…connected…not on our own
He also give
us an illustration of what it means to abide that should help us to understand.
What does
abiding look like?
Those who
abide are pruned.
That is an
important concept in keeping vines.
Every year, my grandmother prunes her grape vine so that it will produce
the best crop for that year. It seems
counterintuitive to cut something so it grows out better. We want to see things keep blooming, but in
many cases that just damages the plant.
Pruning isn't
easy…isn't fun…isn't what we want. But,
it necessary for growth.
Those who
abide bear fruit.
We know that
the Bible talks a lot about bearing fruit.
We studied it in Luke not too many months ago. If we are bearing fruit, others will know. If we are bearing fruit, that is an outward
sign of what we believe.
Important to
know we don't bear fruit without Him. We
don't bear fruit if we aren't connected…remaining…abiding.
Those who
abide are full of joy.
Those who
abide will have the joy of the Lord which is much stronger. The joy of the Lord is not dependent on
circumstances. We could even say that we
are joyful because God is giving us what we ask. If we look at that though, if we are abiding,
we will have Christ in us and we will be seeking His will as we ask. His will becomes our will and thus we ask
according to His will…and He answers.
We are
joyful because our joy doesn't depend on things of this world. It doesn't matter what goes on in our world
because we are fixed on Him.
Those who
abide love others.
Because of
what Jesus has done for us, it puts this amazing love inside of us that we
can't help but share with others. When
we abide in Him, we automatically love others.
He is
telling us that we are to continually love us…this is an ongoing love that He
is talking about…not a one time – love you today – type of love. This is a continual love for others in our
lives. Because we are called…because we
are appointed…because we are abiding…we LOVE.
Are you
abiding? If not, it is time that we become
connected to the vine.
