Remain in Jesus Our True Vine
Friday, February 7
Remain in Jesus Our True Vine
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. John 15:4
In John 15:4, Jesus invites us to “remain” in Him. The New King James Version uses the word “abide” in Him, but what does it look like to live this kind of life – to remain or abide in Him? It means that we commit to daily being connected to His presence. Abiding in the vine means receiving and believing and trusting in the words of Jesus. It means receiving the love of Jesus for the Father and for his people and the joy that Jesus has in the Father and in us. It means sharing the joy, the love, the words with Jesus. Abiding with Christ is the same as faithful obedience to Christ, based on his commands in the Scriptures–studying the Bible and living it out by faith.
Yet, it is not always easy to abide, nor does it come naturally. It seems to take an ongoing conscious decision, if not effort. I do not like to call it effort so much, because that sounds as if it is hard work. But it takes our initiative and our time to stay in any relationship.
By grace Jesus invited us to come to Him and to find rest in Him. By grace He invites us to abide in Him. He encourages us to remain in Him. He gave His life so that we are able to remain in Him and grow even deeper in our intimacy with Him. As it was Jesus who drew us when He said, “Come”, so it is Jesus who keeps us when He says, “Abide”.
The grace to come and the grace to stay are both from Him alone. He drew us because He loved us, and He keeps us because He loves us. Remaining in Christ is not just about occasional visits but a continuous, intimate relationship. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Our place is in His loving and everlasting arms. Today, remain in His arms, embrace His love, and receive His peace!
Prayer for today: Jesus, help me to remain in You and to make time each day to be with You. I know that apart from You, I can do nothing. Jesus, help me abide in You and increase my longing, hunger and thirst to be close with You. Amen.