Day 2
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that hears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” –John 15:5
I also looked at John 6:35, 8:12, 10:11, and 14:6
- bread – hunger and thirst
- light – sight and energy
- shepherd – guidance and protection
- way, truth, life – access to God, the Father
- vine – bear fruit
Jesus, the Word, is our guide to God. He provides everything we need to reach the Father. Abide in me… live in the Word. His life must become our life. Our desires must reflect the heart of Jesus. He provides for us through the written Word.
Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult, aren’t they? If we desire to abide in Jesus, we must live in the Word, the written word. If we desire to bear the fruit of holiness – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control – we must live in the Word. This isn’t merely reading the Bible. It is no less than that, but to be sure well more than that.
As Jesus followers, oftentimes we spend much effort trying to change our actions that reveal our heart’s desires. Sometimes we try to change our heart’s desires, but we fail miserably at that as well.
We miss the abiding.
The only thing that changes our heart’s desires is abiding. No regimen of the physical body or the spirit (even your blessed Bible reading plan!) can replace abiding in the Word. Certainly these things can enhance the abiding but never are they a replacement.
Our problem: we like formulas. We like plans. We like rules. We like things we can tether our reigns to and control. We want a nice tidy list from God of all the actions we need to perform. Something we can check off our list and get on with what our hearts truly desire. Oh wait… there it is. You see that there? What our hearts truly desire.
The simple things aren’t always easy.
Pouring yourself into the Word. Reading it, studying it, letting it soak in. Searching out the significance of it in your life at this very moment. Listening for God to speak through the Spirit to your spirit. Simple. Simple. Simple… And oh so difficult at the same time.
Jesus gives us a simple plan. He provides all the things we need for life and tells us to simply trust him. He is saying, “I know the pain you live with. I know the fears that paralyze you. I know the things you wish were important to you and the things you can’t let go of even though you hate them. I know the peace and joy you desperately want to experience and the constant chaos you wish to leave behind. I know the sinful desires you are afraid to let go of because of the happiness they bring you. Listen, I’m not asking you to do anything. I’m not asking you to be anything. I’m not asking you to change anything. I’m simply asking you to trust me. Trust me. Follow me. Abide in me and you will see your life change. You will feel your soul change. You will change.”
It is simple. I pray the Lord gives us all the ability to do this simple thing.
A sermon comes to mind that I absolutely love on this topic. You will be blessed by hearing it. If My Words Abide in You by John Piper
-knittingprose
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