I love it when Jesus uses one of his “I am” statements to describe himself. What does it mean to you that Jesus is the “true grapevine”? Verse 5 sums it up for me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” I feel honored to put myself in the “branches” category.
Jesus wants us to abide and remain in Him. Do you think the disciples knew what that meant? Do we even begin to understand the depth of meaning that Jesus’ words have for our lives and how we live? When we remain in Him, we also “abide” in Him, living our lives while acknowledging his presence. There is some great stuff to ponder and reflect on in this reading.
Some branches will be cut off by our heavenly Father, the gardener. That’s a frightening truth for some people who find themselves far from God. They are likely unwilling to find their way back, forever giving up their inheritance for a blessed and beautiful life eternal with Jesus. They may not even be fearful of death, but only confident in their own strength. How can we help them see?
The good thing about sheltering in place is the freedom to abide in Jesus, spending more devoted time than usual with Him, trusting in His promises. We just had an experience of that here in Mexico when violence erupted recently. Residents were urged to stay off the streets for a couple of days. More time with Jesus is always a good thing. You may find yourself in your own season of waiting. Abide in Jesus.
We have already been pruned, or perhaps we’re in the season of pruning. The distinction was made that being pruned and being cut off are two different responses from God. I’m no plant expert, but I do know that pruning a plant properly only helps the plant to flourish and be healthy. When we think of the trials in our lives as moments of pruning, we can have confidence that we will bounce back even stronger. The lessons learned from the pruning we endure will often bring us closer to God. That’s the main idea.
The disciples were pruned so they would be ready to tell the world about Jesus. All their time with Jesus had been the preparation, and all the lessons of life to come would only add to their testimonies of how Jesus remained with them, or rather how they remained in Jesus. We have been pruned so that we can thrive.
Again, Jesus calls us to love as he loves. As we obey God’s commandments, we remain in His love. Jesus modeled that behavior for us. The reward we can experience now is joy. The joy of the Lord abounds when we abide in Him and show our devotion by our obedience.
Spend some time replaying this in your head. Jesus calls his followers his friends. That means we are his friends. It should be easy to want to abide in the presence of our best friend. What does it mean to you to be Jesus’ friend?
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, as I close my eyes, I see us together, and I long to remain in your presence. I love the assurance I feel that you are always there, and I am never alone. There is great joy in that confident hope. I can trust you and the pruning that goes on in my life. May I be stronger for each correction. I’m ready to follow your lead, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
