Abide!

Abide!

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. John 15:4 KJV

Context and Charge:

Jesus speaks here to disciples, not the crowd or those who do not yet know who they are. The disciple is one who has learnt the joy and blessing accessible to anyone who knows how to ABIDE. It is indeed by inspiration that this is the word used here: a man who abides in a place has no other permanent abode. He may go visit other places, and may even sleep over in a friend's place, but there is no doubt about where he resides permanently. When you ask him/her where s/he stays, the answer will always be the same. The disciple knows the importance of abiding, as this is the source of strength and the foundation of peace for the disciple. I consider it very important then that I must sort out my residence status, as it is the key to access the rest of the verse under consideration today. Who am I? Do I know where I am expected to be and what actions are expected from me?

It is a joint effort; I cannot claim to be in Christ and there will be no physical evidence of that location. Christ takes me as I am when I come to Him, but He definitely does not leave me the same way that I came to Him. There is a work He does first in me, before it flows out of me. Like every seed that bears physical fruit, there is a secret, hidden work that must first be settled before the fruit can be made manifest. This is one reality that cannot be impacted by magic or just wishing it into existence; I must put in the work and make the sacrifices required to bring it into the realm of the physical. Fruit is a sign that the seed has found good soil. It does not matter how hard I till the rocky ground, adding manure and watering it; it does not support long -term growth. If I will have frut, particularly the type that abides and lasts, the ground is also equally important. 

Conviction and Conclusion:

Am I preparing my heart the right way to receive the seed of God's Word? Ever seen a branch bearing much fruit by itself, and on its own? Ever seen a branch that can sustain itself without help from the stem it should be attached to? In the same way, a disciple must be a lifelong dependant of the One who has  can supply all that is required for residing in the branch. I cannot be a branch of an orange tree and be seeking the same nutrients that a banana will require to grow into a banana. I cannot waste my time as a disciple envying another man's growth pattern; it is the same stem producing his own growth that is able to supply and sustain my own growth, so I need to just focus on that which I need to be all that God intends for me. Apart from him, the branch will die. Outside of Him, there are no citizenship benefits. God's time of favour is here.