Abiding!

Abiding!

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. John 15:5 KJV

There is always a message for the crowd, and another one for the disciple. What is required from the crowd is not the same as what is required for the disciple. Jesus speaks here to his disciples, and not the crowd. What makes a disciple is the fact that s/he has been washed by the Word of God. The Word of God cleanses and purifies, and then commissions a man for effective service. At no time can that man lose connection with the Word; he must remain fixed to the Word if He is to remain effective and efficient. That is the message of today's extract. 

You cannot exchange the roles; the vine cannot serve as the branch, and the branch cannot serve as the vine. The vine is the supply, and the branches are the evidence of the supply. You call a tree fruitful when you can see the signs of supply. You cannot point to the physical supply, but you can never doubt the evidence. Is my life an evidence of the supply of God's grace, mercy, favour and wisdom? As men come in contact wit me, can they see the evidence of the supply of the vine in me? I note that the roles are laid out by Jesus, and no amount of education, elocution, enlightenment or expenditure can change the role.

I will never be Jesus, and I will never be self-sufficient and I will never be the supply. I can only take of that which I have been given by the vine, and then make use of that to bear fruit. And I note that the key word here is 'abide': "to remain stable or fixed in a state". A man who is abiding in the vine does not have room for divided opinions. Even if doubt comes, there is an assurance that the place where he is fixed to can provide all that is required for impact. Which one am I: a disciple, or just content being a part of the crowd? Remember, whatever position you take, there are eternal consequences. God's time of favour is here.