5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 (NIV)
Have you ever had to call tech support or the IT department at work because your computer wasn’t working? If you have, then you know the first question they always ask – “Is it plugged in?” What an infuriating question! “Of course, it’s plugged in,” you think to yourself as you roll your eyes and grit your teeth. After all, you’ve been trying to get it to work for the last 15 minutes. Do they really think you’re so stupid as to not check the most obvious thing in the world? Well, you’d be surprised how many times the most obvious is the most overlooked.
The same can be true in our relationship with Jesus. We notice that things aren’t working right – we haven’t heard His voice in a long time, we’re doing a lot of “religious activity” but it’s not producing results, we’re not seeing evidence of the fruit of the Spirit increasing in our life, maybe we’ve even started to develop apathy toward our lack of spiritual growth. When any of these start to become noticeable, we try to diagnose the problem. We start focusing on what our efforts have or have not been instead of checking the obvious – to see if we’ve been abiding in Christ.
Pastor, preacher, and bishop, J.C. Ryle, says this about abiding in Christ:
“To abide in Christ means to keep up a habit of constant close communion with Him–to be always leaning on Him, resting on Him, pouring out our hearts to Him, and using Him as our Fountain of life and strength, as our chief Companion and best Friend. To have His words abiding in us, is to keep His sayings and precepts continually before our memories and minds, and to make them the guide of our actions and the rule of our daily conduct and behavior.” – J.C. Ryle
In other words, it’s trusting in Jesus through every situation of every day. It’s being connected to Him and maintaining 2-way communication. It’s listening to Him speak through His Word and asking Him to allow it to take root deep in your soul. Abiding in Christ is living a life in total submission to His plans and purpose. It’s preaching the good news of the Gospel to yourself in the midst of your circumstances, and it’s a constant awareness of your need for His grace and power.
If we want to see Jesus do a new thing in our lives, our church, and our community, we must be a people who are abiding in Jesus. Without this, we’re not plugged in…and we will accomplish nothing.
During this 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, will you spend some time honestly sharing with Jesus about any disconnection you’re experiencing? Ask for Him for the grace you need, to give you the desire to grow closer to Him, and the strength to develop the new habits that will keep you attached to the Vine.