Abide. Remain. Dwell. Live in/connected to Jesus.
This is such an amazing image. “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Our neighbor has grapes in her yard, and my parents had them in our yard when I was a boy. Then way they can climb, yet the little cork-screw tendrils are so fragile and break so easily, yet the closer to the vine you get the more woody and strong they get. It just makes sense that the leaves, branches and tendrils die if they’re disconnected from the vine. They cannot get water (Living Water) or nutrition (Living Bread) apart from the vine.
So Jesus tells us to abide. Remain. Live connected to Him. We don’t need to talk about what happens when we don’t – the withering, dying, and being thrown away. What we need is to abide. Jesus says when we abide in Him, His words will abide in us. The words of the Word will live inside of us. They do live inside of us! His words are life – His life filling us and making us alive in Him. And when we’re alive in Him we will bear fruit.
What kind of fruit?
Love. (Again that word rolls off of Jesus’ lips!) And when we love as Jesus loves, and as Jesus has been loved by the Father, our joy will be complete.
Jesus is clear love is not for sissies. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.” He must have been thinking about what was about to happen – arrested, beaten, crucified; all for the sake of love. James Dobson wrote a book years ago called Love Must be Tough. It’s a great title. To love is not to be a door mat and be nice and let people walk all over you. Love is tough. Look at God’s love. He did not just roll over and let us do everything we wanted in our sin. Yet recognizing that we could not rescue ourselves from our sin, He reached out. He chose mercy and sacrifice. He paid the price. And now, having been rescued, Jesus looks at us and says, “Love the way that I have loved you.”
It’s not easy. Love is hard in this world. Hatred, anger, revenge, and envy are much more “natural” in this world. And no wonder! “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy!” It’s mindless. “They hated me without a cause.” When we love, and the world responds with hatred, we often get confused. Why is this happening to me? Jesus is saying, “Expect it, and keep loving. Keep doing good. Keep following Me. They are guilty of sin. They need forgiveness from Me.”
We cannot do this on our own. I can’t keep loving when people hate me! And once again Jesus shows how amazing He is: He provides the Helper, the Comforter – the Holy Spirit. He bears witness about Jesus – and he does it through our lives. He softens our hearts. He makes us able to love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience . . . .”
So remain in the Vine. Perhaps a good way to do that is to hold on to a passage or even a word to remind you – remain.
Lord Jesus, live in me so that I may live in you. Fill me with your love so that I may love others. Fill me with your Spirit so that I may bear witness about You. Amen.
This is such an amazing image. “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Our neighbor has grapes in her yard, and my parents had them in our yard when I was a boy. Then way they can climb, yet the little cork-screw tendrils are so fragile and break so easily, yet the closer to the vine you get the more woody and strong they get. It just makes sense that the leaves, branches and tendrils die if they’re disconnected from the vine. They cannot get water (Living Water) or nutrition (Living Bread) apart from the vine.
So Jesus tells us to abide. Remain. Live connected to Him. We don’t need to talk about what happens when we don’t – the withering, dying, and being thrown away. What we need is to abide. Jesus says when we abide in Him, His words will abide in us. The words of the Word will live inside of us. They do live inside of us! His words are life – His life filling us and making us alive in Him. And when we’re alive in Him we will bear fruit.
What kind of fruit?
Love. (Again that word rolls off of Jesus’ lips!) And when we love as Jesus loves, and as Jesus has been loved by the Father, our joy will be complete.
Jesus is clear love is not for sissies. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.” He must have been thinking about what was about to happen – arrested, beaten, crucified; all for the sake of love. James Dobson wrote a book years ago called Love Must be Tough. It’s a great title. To love is not to be a door mat and be nice and let people walk all over you. Love is tough. Look at God’s love. He did not just roll over and let us do everything we wanted in our sin. Yet recognizing that we could not rescue ourselves from our sin, He reached out. He chose mercy and sacrifice. He paid the price. And now, having been rescued, Jesus looks at us and says, “Love the way that I have loved you.”
It’s not easy. Love is hard in this world. Hatred, anger, revenge, and envy are much more “natural” in this world. And no wonder! “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy!” It’s mindless. “They hated me without a cause.” When we love, and the world responds with hatred, we often get confused. Why is this happening to me? Jesus is saying, “Expect it, and keep loving. Keep doing good. Keep following Me. They are guilty of sin. They need forgiveness from Me.”
We cannot do this on our own. I can’t keep loving when people hate me! And once again Jesus shows how amazing He is: He provides the Helper, the Comforter – the Holy Spirit. He bears witness about Jesus – and he does it through our lives. He softens our hearts. He makes us able to love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience . . . .”
So remain in the Vine. Perhaps a good way to do that is to hold on to a passage or even a word to remind you – remain.
Lord Jesus, live in me so that I may live in you. Fill me with your love so that I may love others. Fill me with your Spirit so that I may bear witness about You. Amen.
Comments