Written by Kat W.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” -John 15:4
Encouragement of this week: ABIDE IN GOD! Why? Because apart from Christ you can do nothing!
You must abide in Christ because He is your source of life. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” In this phrase “abide in me,” Jesus was referring to the way the branches abide in the vine.
When the branches are connected with the vine, they get the nutrients they need to keep growing and bear fruit. However if the branches are cut off from the vine, they cannot continue to grow or bear fruit so then they wither and die.
This analogy is so important because it helps us to understand how we can abide in Jesus Christ. You must understand that Jesus is the only source from which you can receive life, and that without Him you become spiritually withered and dead. He is the only way in which you can bear meaningful fruit that counts for eternity.
Desperately cling onto Him by seeking Him through prayer and His Word. Hate sin and allow God to bring you to that safe place of repentance, because sin ultimately separates and cuts you off from your life giving vine, Jesus Christ.
Desire Him and follow Him at any cost. Obey Him no matter what He asks of you because you should now understand that obeying Him is the only way in which you can truly live.
Doing this sets you apart as His disciple (John 15:7-8). If abiding in Christ means seeking Him, hating sin, repenting, following Him and obeying Him, then abiding in Christ paints a good picture of what it means to be His disciple.
If you don’t seek Christ, if you don’t follow Him or obey Him, what difference does your lifestyle have from that of an unbeliever? God has called you to be set apart from the WORLD: “You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” (Leviticus 20:26)
His joy will be full in you when you abide (John 15:10-11). But today as I write this, I think the joy of abiding in Christ also comes from simply knowing that by staying connected to the vine we have life. When we don’t abide in Christ, we are “thrown away like a branch that withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned” (John 15:6).
It is such great joy to know that when we abide in Him, we are saved from such a horrible fate! When we abide in Him and we realize that we are connected to the Life-Giving Vine, our hearts are automatically filled with joy, allowing us to remain joyful in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.
Pray This With Me Today: God, I come before you willing to obey and follow you with my whole heart. I repent and choose not to follow the world and sinfulness, but I choose to follow you. Help me to understand how to continually abide in your always. I am seeking you right here, right now. God, I want to know you more. Use me and guide me with your perfect will. I love you, God. In Jesus’ name I pray Amen.”