Abiding
Dear Faith Family,
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, (John 15:5).
It was his wedding song to his bride, a “beautiful” monotone top hit that included the lyrics that we love to sing, “I love technology!” Thank you for those stirring words Kip in the classic movie, Napoleon Dynamite. Admit it, you’re stuck with that tune for the rest of the day! Not familiar with the tune? You can give a listen on YouTube and find it painfully embedded in your mind too.
And so, it happened yet again. Technology. Static, volume discrepancies, and ultimately failure. The cordless microphone was discarded on Sunday due to diffnical techniculties. Well, this week it was discovered that there was a loose, faulty connection between the microphone cord and the sound board. Funny how much havoc one little bad connection can create!
Isn’t that Jesus’ point in John 15? Apart from Him, our ability to do something is limited. Right? Wrong! Apart from Him we can do N-O-T-H-I-N-G, (Not my words. His.) On the other hand, as we abide in Him, we bear much fruit. It would seem then, that the foundational issue is abiding in Him. It is His fruit after all. We just have the privilege of bearing His fruit. You know – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, (Galatians 5:22-23).
Question: how do we abide in Jesus? How do we maintain a good connection? Jesus raised a couple of key points when it comes to abiding. He calls us to abide in His love. We need to be reminded daily (moment by moment) that God loves us. His Word keeps us grounded in the truth that His love for us is based on who He is and not on what we’ve done (or not done). I forget. And when I do, static is inevitable.
Another key point that Jesus raised regarding abiding is our responsibility to exercise our love for Him. How? Obedience. Practice His Word in your life today. Remember that it is our God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure, (Philippians 2:13).
Hearing some static? Volume discrepancies? Feeling disconnected? Dive into the truth, God’s Word. Remind yourself of God’s unfailing love in Christ Jesus. Start with God. And then practice loving Him back because He first loved you. Exercise obedience. Extend kindness. Confess sin. Pray without ceasing. Keep on connecting. Because you, in Christ, can!
Learning how to abide,
Pastor Karl
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