Key Scripture:
John 15:4a. “Abide in Me, and I in you. …
Key Idea:
“Abide in me”: that refers more to that which we have to do. We have to trust and obey, to detach ourselves from all else, to reach out after Him and cling to Him, to sink ourselves into Him.
— Murray
Pray for revelation:
Blessed Lord, Thou dost bid me abide in Thee. How can I, Lord, except Thou show Thyself to me, waiting to receive and welcome and keep me? I pray Thee show me how Thou as Vine undertaketh to do all. To be occupied with Thee is to abide in Thee. Here I am, Lord, a branch, cleansed and abiding–resting in Thee, and awaiting the inflow of Thy life and grace.
— Murray
Key words:
Abide.
Abide, as it is used in this fragment of the verse, means to continuously be abiding. Where we abide is where we live, where we set up residence. Staying with the comparison of the vine, the natural branch is at unity with the vine. They are of the same nature. The vine sends sap into the branch, and the branch circulates it back to the vine. To stay alive and be productive, the only thing the branch needs to do is keep staying attached.
There are times when a branch is grafted in. Something unique happens. Small shoots from the branch enter into the vine, and other small shoots from the vine enter into the branch. A bond is built and shared. A give and take relationship. With growth,such a bond can become just as strong as a natural branch. That new bond makes a physical connection, and builds strength. Once those firm connections are made, a foreign branch needs only to do what the natural branches are doing. Abide, stay connected to the original vine.
If you want to be a new branch, and bbe part of the Kingdom of God. Attach yourself to the vine by reading the ‘How to be Saved’ page, elsewhere on this web page. If you are somehow reading this somewhere else on the Internet, visit http://altamontfirstbaptist.org where you’ll find that page.
There is no religious ceremony, no church tradition, no rituals, nothing at all that we do to force our fruits to pop out. Who cares what the other branches are doing, or how they may move around in the winds of tribulation. Do some moving around yourself. Move in your natural places, but stay attached. Keep abiding. Preserve that unity with the vine.
It is such a simple act, just abiding. It may seem like there should be more that is required that we do. Obey, by staying attached. Trust that that simple act will be all it takes to bear fruits.