Abiding in Jesus

John 15:4-11: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

There are a few things that stand out to me in this passage that I read this morning.  I think of my apple tree, and how some of the branches grew no leaves this year, or just small, withered leaves, and no fruit.  Other branches flourished with apples, bending from the weight.  They made large, red, juicy, sweet apples.  The branches that grew nothing need to be cut off, because they are just blocking the sun, or keeping the other branches from spreading out.  They don't look good, either.  They look dead.  They don't match the beauty of the tree as a whole.  A good gardner would trim off those dead branches and allow the tree to flourish so it can make more fruit.  We had a really good crop this year, and it was a blessing to have so much fruit that we gave some away to our friends, family, and neighbors.  We also didn't mind when the deer and bugs ate some that fell on the ground.  There was plenty for everyone!  What a blessing!  I made a lot of apple crisp this year.  Yum!

Another thing that comes to mind is that I don't have to feel guilty when I realize that my talents are small, except when God intervenes.  I am a writer that just cannot sit and write something amazing on demand.  It has to come from something the Lord has laid on my heart.  Then it just flows out.  It must be inspired from reading the Word of God.  That's how it's meant to be.  It's not that there is something wrong with me, it's that I naturally will get my nourishment from the vine so I don't just wither and die in my service to Him.  Oh, how we need to be in the Word every day.  We can't just get by praying; we need that connection with Him, hearing what God has to say, not just us saying what we need.  The answers are not within us, but within the vine.  The branch itself is not self-sustaining.

Lastly, isn't it wonderful that God doesn't just care about the fruit we produce, but about us having joy?  He wants our joy to be full.  Joy is not dependent on circumstances.  It is there as a baseline, and as things around us happen that scare us, worry us, demand from us, etc., we can keep our joy through it all, which is the answer to anxiety.  We will not be overcome by our circumstances, but rather cope with it as it comes, with joy in our hearts that is there to stay.

He also wants us to know His love.  If we obey His commandments, we will abide in His love.  We are to continue in that love, and share it with others.  As we bear much fruit, our Heavenly Father is glorified, and again, that is how it is meant to be, and that's the source of our joy.

Christians, don't go around fruitless, joyless, and tired and worn.  We were meant to bear fruit - much fruit!  Make sure you are connected to that  Vine, Jesus Christ.  John 15:23: "He that hateth me hateth my Father also."  He has shown His love to you.  The flip side to John 15:23 is true also.  If you show your love to Jesus, you show your love to our Heavenly Father.  Abide in Jesus today.