John 15:5 - ABIDING IN JESUS.
John 15:5 (ESV) I am the vine; you are the
branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can
do nothing.
John 15:5 (NLT) Yes, I am the vine; you are
the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in
them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me
you can do nothing.
John 15:5 (CEV) I am the vine, and you are
the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I
stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of
fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.
INTRODUCTION
Abiding in Christ means a constant
receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved
surrender to His service. The channel of communication
must be open continually between man and his God.
As the vine branch constantly draws the sap
from the living vine, so are we to cling to
Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength
and perfection of His own character. {DA 676}
All who receive Christ by faith become
one with Him...
So those who receive Christ by faith
become one with Him in principle and action. They
are united to Him, and the life they live is the
life of the Son of God. They derive their life
from Him who is life...
The heart must be united with Christ's
heart, the will must be submerged in His will, the
mind must become one with His mind, the thoughts
must be brought into captivity to Him...
The regenerated man has a vital
connection with Christ. Christ has provided means
whereby our whole life may be an unbroken communion
with Himself; but the sense of Christ's abiding
presence can come only through living faith... {HP
56}
COMMENTARY PEARL
Rather than making New Year's
resolutions, I select a word to focus on. This past year,
I selected the word "abide." We've moved
frequently and recently settled into a new home.
Because abide means to reside, dwell, or remain, it
seemed an appropriate choice.
To learn to abide in Jesus, I sought
methods to engage Scripture more, such as journaling
about sections that jumped out to me, praying
Jesus's Word, and learning more about the context
and culture of Biblical times. I even pondered
significant works of art in light of the Biblical events
or truths they portrayed to see if they offered
spiritual parallels to my life. All these methods were
valuable, but one insight I gained about abiding with
Jesus was my need to learn to dwell in the
moment.
I heard someone say we spend eighty
percent of our mental energy thinking about the past
or future and only twenty percent in the
present. I battle wandering thoughts that transport
me to different times rather than focusing on
where I am. Like being in a home, I can't abide in
the present if I'm not, well, in the present.
This beautiful allegory of a vine and branches is
an intimate union between Jesus and us, His
followers. Jesus as the vine is the sustenance for
everything. As a branch, I'm dependent on Him for
everything, every moment of every day of my life.
Jeannie Blackmer
Faith Step: Read John 15 and write about
what abiding in Jesus means to you. Then list
three steps you can take to abide with Him.
[Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
A union with Christ by living faith is
enduring; every other union must perish. Christ first
chose us, paying an infinite price for our
redemption; and the true believer chooses Christ as
first, and last, and best in everything. But this
union costs us something. It is a relation of
utter dependence to be entered into by a proud
being. All who form this union must feel their need
of the atoning blood of Christ. They must have
a change of heart. They must submit their own
will to the will of God. There will be a struggle
with outward and internal obstacles. There must
be a painful work of detachment, as well as a
work of attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity,
worldliness--sin in all its forms--must be overcome, if we
would enter into a union with Christ. The reason
why many find the Christian life so deplorably
hard, why they are so fickle, so variable, is,
they try to attach themselves to Christ without
detaching themselves from these cherished idols.
5BC1143
Apart from Him you have no life. You have
no power to resist temptation or to grow in
grace and holiness. Abiding in Him, you may
flourish.
Our growth in grace, our joy, our
usefulness,--all depend upon our union with Christ. It is by
communion with Him, daily, hourly,--by abiding in Him,
--that we are to grow in grace. He is not only the
Author, but the Finisher of our faith. It is Christ
first and last and always. He is to be with us,
not only at the beginning and the end of our
course, but at every step of the way.
Do you ask, "How am I to abide in
Christ?" In the same way as you received Him at
first. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk ye in Him."
Consecrate yourself to God in the
morning; make this your very first work. Let your
prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay
all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy
service. Abide with me, and let all my work be
wrought in Thee." This is a daily matter. Each
morning consecrate yourself to God for that day.
Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or
given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus
day by day you may be giving your life into the
hands of God, and thus your life will be molded
more and more after the life of Christ.
Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon
the beauty, the perfection, of His character.
Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His
humiliation, Christ in His purity and holiness, Christ in
His matchless love --this is the subject for the
soul's contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying
Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to
be transformed into His likeness.
When the mind dwells upon self, it is
turned away from Christ, the source of strength and
life. Hence it is Satan's constant effort to keep
the attention diverted from the Saviour and thus
prevent the union and communion of the soul with
Christ. The pleasures of the world, life's cares and
perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your
own faults and imperfections--to any or all of
these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not be
misled by his devices. Talk and think of Jesus.
Let self be lost in Him. SC68-72
This union with Christ, once formed, must
be maintained. The life you have received
from Me can be preserved only by continual
communion. Without Me you cannot overcome one sin, or
resist one temptation.
"Abide in Me, and I in you." Abiding in
Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a
life of unreserved surrender to His service. The
channel of communication must be open continually
between man and his God.
When we live by faith on the Son of God,
the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our
lives; not one will be missing
It is through the word that Christ abides
in His followers The words of Christ are
spirit and life. Receiving them, you receive the
life of the Vine. DA674-7
The life-giving power of the Holy Spirit,
proceeding from the Saviour, pervades the soul, renews
the motives and affections, and brings even the
thoughts into obedience to the will of God, enabling
the receiver to bear the precious fruit of holy
deeds. AA284
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
John 15:4, 5 - Constantly Connected to Jesus.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230205-1003.html
John 15:5 - Abiding in Jesus and Bearing
Fruit.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230812-0919.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
