PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY – Pt. 1
John 15 [4] {Jesus} “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. [5] 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.
The concept of abiding is the starting place for any positive spiritual growth in our lives. Understanding and living out this basic truth will take you to the next level spiritually. Take a little time to read the whole chapter to gain some insight on what Jesus is talking about here in v.4-5.
To abide means “to stay where you are.” As a genuine Christian, you are “in Christ.” That’s your spiritual position. Our place is in Christ – in communion with him. Jesus uses the illustration of the Vine (Himself) and the branches (genuine Christians) to show us this basic key spiritual growth principle. The branch abides in a vine by drawing all its life and nourishment from the vine. So as we abide in Christ, we experience authentic Christianity by drawing strength from Christ in prayer, through Scripture, depending on Jesus for strength to obey, and by being continually conscious of our union with Him. As we practice constant contact with Him throughout the day, we are conscious of His abiding in us and supplying us with spiritual strength and resources. The branch can only bear fruit as it abides in the Vine. The only way believers can bear the fruit of a Christ-like character is by living in touch with Christ moment by moment.
It is not a question of the branch living its life for the Vine, but simply of letting the life of the Vine flow out through the branches. Sometimes we pray, “Lord, help me to live my life for You.” It would be better to pray, “Lord Jesus, live out Your life through me.” Without Christ, we can do nothing. A vine branch has one great purpose—to bear fruit. It is useless for making furniture or for building homes. It does not even make good firewood. But it is good for fruit bearing—as long as it abides in the vine.