Abide In Me

JESUS DOES NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF YOUR LIFE! JESUS REQUIRES THAT HE IS TO BE LORD OF ALL AREAS OF OUR LIFE! EVERYTHING! NO DIVIDED LOYALTIES NOR WILL HE ALLOW ANY OTHER GODS BEFORE HIM. HE MUST BE THE CENTER OF FOCUS.

THIS IS THE GREAT TRAGEDY OF GENESIS 3:9, “BUT THE LORD GOD CALLED TO THE MAN, “WHERE ARE YOU?” WE KNOW, FROM VERSE 8, THAT GOD HAD APPEARED FOR THEIR EVENING WALK TOGETHER, BUT ADAM AND EVE WERE HIDING FROM GOD AMONGST THE TREES IN THE GARDEN. THEY CHOSE DISOBEDIENCE. THEY DESIRED A REPLACEMENT FOR GOD IN THEIR LIFE.

THE PERFECT RELATIONSHIP THAT ADAM AND EVE HAD WITH GOD WAS BROKEN. THE GOOD NEWS FOR US, IS THAT THE BLOOD THAT JESUS SHED AS THE SURPREME SACRIFICE FOR THIS BROKENNESS OF SIN AFFORDS US THE JOY OF RE-ESTABLISHING THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. IT IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIP!

THE BIBLE IS FILLED WITH THE STORY OF REDEMPTION AND GOD’S PASSION AND DESIRE TO HAVE A LOVING, INTIMATE, AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH US. WE CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH! JAMES 4:4, 7-8, “DON’T YOU KNOW THAT FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD MEANS ENMITY AGAINST GOD? THEREFORE, ANYONE WHO CHOOSES TO BE A FRIEND OF THE WORLD BECOMES AN ENEMY OF GOD…..SUBMIT YOURSELVES, THEN, TO GOD. RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. COME NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL COME NEAR TO YOU. WASH YOUR HANDS, YOU SINNERS, AND PURIFY YOUR HEARTS, YOU DOUBLE-MINDED.”

WHEN IT COMES TO CHRISTIANITY AND CLAIMING THAT WE ARE, INDEED, A CHRISTIAN, WE ARE PROCLAIMING AND EXPRESSING A LIVING WITNESS TO JESUS CHRIST! AS BELIEVERS, WE REALIZE THAT CHRISTIANITY IS NOT SIMPLY ABOUT BELIEVING AND SAYING THE RIGHT THINGS OR LIVING A CHRIST-LIKE LIFE.

YES, THOSE ARE CRUCIAL AND SOMETHING WE MUST TAKE SERIOUS, BUT WE HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW DIMENSION OF OUR FAITH WHICH IS NURTURING AND PROTECTING OUR LIFE-GIVING CONNECTION TO JESUS THROUGH A CLOSE, INTIMATE, PERSONAL AND LOVING RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. INTENTIONAL! PERSISTENT!

THE MORE WE GROW IN OUR FAITH, HOPEFULLY, WE ARE FALLING MORE AND MORE IN LOVE WITH GOD AS OUR FATHER; JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR AND WELCOMING THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US TO EMPOWER US AND INDWELL US. I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS IN WHAT JESUS WAS TEACHING HIS DISCIPLES.

JESUS WAS MORE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING A LOVING, PERSONAL AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS. HE WAS MORE ABOUT PUTTING THE EMPHASIS ON “BEING” RATHER THAN JUST “DOING.” JESUS ALWAYS GAVE CLEAR GUIDANCE ON WHAT TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP HE WAS INTERESTED IN HAVING WITH US.

JESUS CLEARLY STATED THAT HE IS THE VINE WHICH MEANS HE IS LITERALLY OUR SOURCE OF LIFE. HE ALSO DREW THE IMAGERY THAT WE ARE THE BRANCHES, MEANING THAT AS BRANCHES, WE ARE THE VESSEL THAT GOD’S LIFE SOURCE FLOWS THROUGH TO PRODUCE AN ABUNDANCE OF FRUIT.

IF WE WILL REMAIN IN JESUS CHRIST AND ALLOW HIM TO NOURISH US WITH HIS LIFE-GIVING RELATIONSHIP, THE NATURAL, INEVITABLE RESULT WILL RESULT IN SEEING EVERY LEVEL AND FORM OF ABUNDANT FRUIT BEING PRODUCED FOR GOD’S GLORY.

IT IS A BLESSING TO KNOW WE ARE INVITED BY JESUS TO COME CLOSE TO HIM IN ORDER TO DEEPEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND TO BE ABLE TO “SEE RESULTS” FROM OUR LABORS. JAMES 4:18, “COME NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL COME NEAR TO YOU.” I AM SURE YOU WANT TO BE FOUND PRODUCING THE FRUIT THAT CAN ONLY COME FROM ABIDING WITH THE SOURCE THAT ACTUALLY PRODUCES THE FRUIT.

JESUS IS TELLING US QUITE PLAINLY: IT IS NOT OUR ACTIVITY THAT PRODUCES THE FRUIT, IT IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM THAT YEILDS THE HARVEST OF ABUNDANCE OF FRUIT.

IT ALL COMES OUT OF A TWO-WAY RELATIONSHIP: ABIDING IN CHRIST AND ALLOWING HIM TO ABIDE IN US AS IT WAS PLAINLY STATED IN VERSE 4, “ABIDE IN ME AS I ABIDE IN YOU.”

THIS IS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE “VINEYARD IMAGERY” THAT JESUS IS TRYING TO MAKE WHICH IS THE OBVIOUS DEPENDENCE THE BRANCHES HAVE ON THE VINE FOR THEIR CONTINUED LIFE.

THIS IS WHAT JESUS IS GETTING AT: ABIDE IN HIM AND YOUR LIFE CAN BE USED TO PRODUCE A GREAT HARVEST AT EVERY LEVEL AND EVERY ENDEAVOR NO MATTER HOW SMALL OR GREAT THE TASK GOD HAS GIVEN YOU FOR HIS GLORY.

THIS IS WHY THERE IS SUCH GREAT SORROW WHEN WE NEGLECT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS BECAUSE OUR LIVES WILL PRODUCE HARDLY ANYTHING AT ALL NOR REACH THE END RESULT GOD HAD INTENDED TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH US.

YES, WE MAY SEE SOME MEAGER RESULTS, BUT NOT THE ABUDANT HARVEST GOD HAD ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO PRODUCE THROUGH YOU. HE WAS NOT KIDDING IN VERSE FIVE, WHEN HE SAID, “APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.” ANYTHING DONE WITHOUT CHRIST WILL ALWAYS BE INADEQUATE AND FALL SHORT.