ABIDE.

 

I do not claim to be doing well at it, quite the opposite. Recently I've been doing quite horribly. This past week as I was reading in John 15:4-5, it stated this: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." It kinda stuck with me. Not only will you not bear fruit if you're not abiding in Christ, but if you truly were abiding in Christ, if you had CHRIST IN YOU. Shouldn't you be bearing so much fruit, that you wouldn't be able to contain it? As I take a look at my life, I don't see much fruit. There's something wrong, and I need to change it. Right now I'm a branch, but what good is that, if only that? It's absolutely mandatory that I be connected to the Vine. Then am I able to be His branches, His arms, that reach far beyond. Bearing fruit that others may see it and give glory to Him who knows me and calls me by name.   

"...The beauty of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church shines brightest when nothing but Christ can sustain it." ~ John Piper