Abide in Him
One of my favorite books is Steven K. Scott's "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken". I can't recommend it highly enough! Scott is actually the compiler rather than the author, because it is merely a compilation of everthing Jesus Christ said in the Gospels, organized by topic. The value of the book is to have it all in 1 volume arranged by topic. In light of the words of the great commission from Matthew 28..." Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ....having Everything He Commanded, Taught, or Said in any context put together by subject is a valuable tool! (You can find the book at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Words-Ever-Spoken/dp/1400074622 )
I picked the book up the other day and was reading the words of Jesus in John 15. Let me just supply those words here:
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
As I read them I was stuck by verses 5, 7 and 8. In verse 5, Jesus says that if we "abide" in Him we will bear much fruit and that apart from Him we can do nothing....which I interpret to mean we will bear no fruit. I am also seeing from verse 2 that we can sometimes bear more or less fruit because of our need for pruning. So it seems that there may be 3 conditions of the Christian....
1. No Fruit (from not abiding)
2. Little Fruit (from little abiding or the need for pruning)
3. Much Fruit (from much abiding).
In addition to the bearing of fruit, there is the issue of answered prayer in verse 7. From the overall context it may be that the prayer in view here is the prayer to bear fruit. According to verse 8 it is certainly God's will and to His glory that we bear much fruit and show ourselves to be Jesus' disciples.
I am not entering into a deep discussion of what the "fruit" here is. Is it the fruit of the Spirit? The Character of Christ in our lives? Or is it the fruit of multiplied ministry? The making of many disciples? Personally I am after both kinds of fruit, and I think this word can apply in both ways.
How can I "Abide in Him"....How is this command to be obeyed? I think the hint is in verse 7: If you abide in me and my words abide in you. Look at it this way: Christ plays a part in my abiding....he says in John 10:27-30 "27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one." Christ's part in my abiding is that He has a firm grip on me!
My part of abiding is the part of verse 7 that says, "and my words remain in you". That part is up to me. How much do I read His words? How much do I meditate on His words? How much do I pray His words? How much do I speak or confess His words? How much do I obey His words? The measure of these things will be the measure of how much His words abide in me.
I am making a decision to spend this summer more on the "words" of Jesus as recorded in the Word of God, the Bible. My prayer is to get His words deeper into my consiousness and more fully into my obedience than ever before and therefore to bear more fruit. Will you join me?
I picked the book up the other day and was reading the words of Jesus in John 15. Let me just supply those words here:
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
As I read them I was stuck by verses 5, 7 and 8. In verse 5, Jesus says that if we "abide" in Him we will bear much fruit and that apart from Him we can do nothing....which I interpret to mean we will bear no fruit. I am also seeing from verse 2 that we can sometimes bear more or less fruit because of our need for pruning. So it seems that there may be 3 conditions of the Christian....
1. No Fruit (from not abiding)
2. Little Fruit (from little abiding or the need for pruning)
3. Much Fruit (from much abiding).
In addition to the bearing of fruit, there is the issue of answered prayer in verse 7. From the overall context it may be that the prayer in view here is the prayer to bear fruit. According to verse 8 it is certainly God's will and to His glory that we bear much fruit and show ourselves to be Jesus' disciples.
I am not entering into a deep discussion of what the "fruit" here is. Is it the fruit of the Spirit? The Character of Christ in our lives? Or is it the fruit of multiplied ministry? The making of many disciples? Personally I am after both kinds of fruit, and I think this word can apply in both ways.
How can I "Abide in Him"....How is this command to be obeyed? I think the hint is in verse 7: If you abide in me and my words abide in you. Look at it this way: Christ plays a part in my abiding....he says in John 10:27-30 "27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one." Christ's part in my abiding is that He has a firm grip on me!
My part of abiding is the part of verse 7 that says, "and my words remain in you". That part is up to me. How much do I read His words? How much do I meditate on His words? How much do I pray His words? How much do I speak or confess His words? How much do I obey His words? The measure of these things will be the measure of how much His words abide in me.
I am making a decision to spend this summer more on the "words" of Jesus as recorded in the Word of God, the Bible. My prayer is to get His words deeper into my consiousness and more fully into my obedience than ever before and therefore to bear more fruit. Will you join me?
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