[Jesus says,] "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." ~ John 15:5 (NKJV)
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
a·bide /əˈbaɪd/ Pronunciation Key - [uh-bahyd] verb, a·bode or a·bid·ed, a·bid·ing.
–verb (used without object)
1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.
2. to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.
3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.
I think of abiding with Christ as I go through this life. We talk together....we walk together. And in eternity I will abide with Him, living in my eternal home with my Savior.
But what does it really me to abide in Jesus? To Live in Him? The "He in me" part seems understandable -- we talk about Jesus coming into our hearts, taking control, being our strength. But the "me in Him"? As a believer in Jesus, what does that really mean? That I live in His heart, too? That's kind of a wow thought, isn't it?
The bottom line is that we have to stay connected. And it's us who makes that decision. No, not THE decision you made when you decided your sinful life was ready for a God change. I mean the daily decision to be plugged into the Source of your everything...your everything that really matters, your everything that has true substance. Disconnecting from Jesus is like the astronaut that disengages from the spacecraft during a space walk...flying out in space with no source of oxygen, with no way to steer, with no direction, heading out to dangerous parts unknown.
Fairly easy to disconnect, though, isn't it? Easy to think our own thoughts, and not let His thoughts be central, which leads us to act in accordance with our fallen nature. All I can say is that abiding in the Lord is a job for the vigilant. With continual prayer. With consuming His Word. With meditating on Him.
It's not the Lord who steps away, who breaks the bond...He is rock steady, He is faithful, He is committed. May we make it our priority to maintain that connection, to draw our spiritual lifeblood from the True Vine, so that we bear good fruit...fruit that will last.
Love,
Joelene
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2 comments:
It is hard to stay connected when ife has so many distractions. I am struck by the reason Jesus says to stay connected--"for without me, you can do nothing." Kinda bursts my bubble. I like to think I'm the one in control of my life.
Debbie
Yeah, it definitely cuts to the chase of our attempts at self-sufficiency, huh? Gotta keep the chain of command in perspective.
Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your thoughts very much.
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