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“Abide (remain) in me, and I will abide (remain) in you…” -John 15:4

One

Abide is a special painting inspired from a dear friend.  One day my friend was asking the Lord what it meant to abide and how it was possible to be one with Him.  Then the Lord gave him a picture of a clear container, like a Tupperware, floating on top of the water.  Next he saw a hand come down and take the top off the container.  It began to sink.  The container became completely filled and surrounded by water.  There was no empty space or separation between the container and water.  It was completely filled, inside and out.

That prophetic picture of abiding with the Lord was one of complete unity…one with the Father and one with the Son.  It was the heart of abiding that Jesus prayed for all believers coming after him (which is us!):

“My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:  I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23).

The Vine & The Branches

Jesus also talked about the connection of being one, in John 15, with the vine and the branches analogy.  Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).  

A branch cannot survive without the vine, or main trunk of the tree, just like a Christian cannot survive or grow without Jesus.

It’s vital for a branch to remain connected to the vine in order to live, grow and produce fruit.  Just like branches draw their nutrients and water from the vine, we also draw our life source from the vine (Jesus).  If we want to live as Christians, we must remain connected to the vine.  If we want to grow and produce fruit, we must not become “like a branch that is thrown away” and disconnected from the vine.  We must learn to remain in Him and Him in us.  

Staying connected to Jesus is of utmost importance, because Jesus said, “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown in the fire and burned” (John 15:6).  I don’t want to be burned, but rather live, and “bear much fruit” showing myself to be His disciple (John 15:8). 

“Remain in me and I will 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” (John 15:4).

Since remaining (abiding) in Jesus is so important, then how as believers can we do that?

Remain In My Love

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remained in his love” (John 15:9-10).

The key to remaining in Jesus is obedience.  We must obey His commands to show (prove) our love for Him.  It’s not always easy to obey the Lord, because we often want to do what pleases our flesh.  However, He has our best interests in mind, giving us an easy yoke and light burden.  He gives us commands, because He is treating us as sons and daughters.  And because God is a good, loving Father, He also disciplines us as his children:

“Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.  How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:9-11). 

And what a joy it is to obey the Lord, because to love God is to obey God.  And when we obey God, we remain in His love!  

Help us, Father, to be quick to obey (love) you; we desire to be one with you and one with Jesus! 

“This is love for God:  to obey his commands…” -1 John 5:3

“This is my command:  Love each other.”  -John 15:17

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last…” – John 15:16