JESUS WANTS TO SUPPLY. DEPEND ON HIM TODAY. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 In this verse, Jesus teaches us to rest in Him and depend on Him. He wants us to realize that a life in Christ is simply about depending on Him for provision, protection and the gift of righteousness, because earlier He says, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:3-4 Even before He calls us to abide in Him, He has already made us clean. What a wonderful revelation! Jesus does not say, go make yourself clean then come and abide in me. He says that we are already clean, because of the word which He has spoken to us. Is it because of the works which we have done? No. It is because of the word He has spoken. He did it all for us. He qualified us. And what is the result of abiding in Him? Jesus tells us explicitly, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:7-8 Read this again, if it hasnt blown your mind. What is the result of abiding in Him? Yes, we get whatever we want! And not only that, BECAUSE we get whatever we want, The Father is glorified! The Father wants to bless you and wants to see you bear much fruit. He derives joy from doing just that. Just like a father loves to see his child get whichever toy or candy they want because it brings a smile to their faces, and it makes the father feel a sense of achievement in being able to provide for his children; so too does our Father in heaven feel much joy when we receive all that we desire that is good for us. And notice where discipleship comes in? ‘So you will be My disciples.’ ‘So’ – because of, as a result, stemming from. Discipleship is the result of receiving from God, not the prerequisite! Honestly, if someone here on earth promised you everything, would you not hang around that person even if they didnt tell you to? And so it is here. Jesus is saying, with me come all things. Stick around and you’ll get whatever you want that’s good for you. People often think that a life in Christ is dreary and lacks color. The devil certainly wants you to think it that way. In fact, this erroneous thought has become so common place that the entertainment circle, in jest, portrays hell to be a hip and happening place, a place where rock stars go after theyve finished their tour here on earth. But this could not be further from the truth. Following from the verses above, Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11 Jesus wants us joyful, happy, not dreary and bored. He so longs for a close intimate relationship with us, even though, for the most part, we inexplicably don’t want to. He says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name He may give you.” John 15:16 Again, in the space of nine verses, Jesus says it again, that you should bear fruit, and that whatever you ask the Father in His name, He will give you. Jesus is not kidding. He wants to supply. So what does it mean to abide in Him? What do branches do? Really, think about it. Do they toil? Do they supply? No. They just receive. They receive nutrition from the soil carried from the roots through the stem and then to the branches. Then do they work to bear fruit? No. They just watch the fruit grow from their members. Even if they wanted to, branches neither have the nutrient source nor the genetic make up to produce their own fruit. Else, a tree would have apples, pears and oranges growing on it at the same time. So when Jesus calls us to abide in Him, He tells us to learn from the humble branch. Abide in Me, and I in you, says the Lord. Just like the branch, all we need to do is let Him guide and direct our paths and growth will be achieved in our lives miraculously, through no effort of our own. Jesus is the comprehensive ecosystem. He is the light of the world. John 8:12 He gives us living water. John 4:10 He is the bread of life. John 6:35 He is the nutrition, He is the solvent that dissolves the nutrients and allows the plant to receive its nutrients, He is the light that catalyzes growth in the plant, and He is the root of the plant itself. And all we are called to do is just to hang on. What an awesome God. What a loving Father. Friend, Jesus wants to be your supply today. He is reaching out to you. You did not choose Him, but He has chosen you and wants to appoint you to go and bear much fruit. Will you accept His appointment?
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 01:41:48 +0000
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