Abiding in Love

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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 15:1-5)

Well, Jesus explains this parable pretty clearly: we have to remain in Him (as a branch has to remain in the vine), in order to be useful (i.e. “produce fruit”). But God will “prune us”, by sending trials to us – in order to make us more useful. But now, here’s the question: how is it possible for anyone to “abide in Christ”? Well He actually explains that too:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (John 15:9)

So we’re to abide in Jesus’ love… If you would, let me remind you of another verse which talks about God’s love:

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

We are to abide in Christ’s love, and in doing so, we will be made useful. And what is the greatest display of Jesus’ love, which He ever made? When He sacrificed Himself, in order to save us. So when He says we are to abide in His love, it could be inferred, that Jesus is saying we are to abide in His greatest display of love ever; in His sacrifice for us. By “abiding” (focusing our thoughts on…) that, we’ll become useful. – After all, in what way can a follower of Christ be truly useful, if not by spreading the Gospel to others? And how is one supposed to spread something, when they themselves aren’t even thinking of it at the time when the opportunity to spread it, comes?

There is no other vine which can keep us alive. The “vine” of money is long dead, and a dead vine can’t exactly support branches. Likewise the “vine” of pride, of vanity, and of every other sort of sin is dead. There is only one “vine” which can give us life, and that’s the vine of Jesus’ death for us. So let’s abide in that; the only thing which can allow us to bear fruit, and to live and upright life for God.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland