Last week I finally invested in something I had been needing for a long time. In fact, it was something I already had but bought another one anyway.
At this point you think that I may not be the best steward of my money, but stay with me.
Last week I finally bought a new printer for my home office. We had needed one for some time but I had never done it because we already had one...with one problem. We could not find the power chord.
So for a year now I have had a printer on my desk staring at me crying for power so it could do my bidding. Ok, maybe that is a little overboard but it is pretty ridiculous that I had that printer for so long without it doing anything.
So this week when I began reading John 15 my thoughts automatically thought of my sad little printer. No John 15 does not talk about HP Deskjets, but you will get the correlation once I quote some of the passage.
"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
Get it? My printer had been sitting there for months without a source of power. It could do nothing because it was not plugged into the only source by which it could work. I could have shoved a nine volt battery into it's circuitry but that would not have been near enough. It needed a source of power that would allow it to operate and therefore do what it should be doing - printing.
As believers many times we forget or dismiss our need to "remain in Christ." This is not some mystical thing where we sit on the floor and try to "connect" with our power supply...that's yoga and should be avoided at all cost because it is a idolatrous practice...but I digress. The way we "plug in" to Christ is primarily through His word. Psalm 1 speaks of the man who meditates on the word of God like this:
"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:3
Psalm 119 also speaks of remaining in His word:
"Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart." Psalm 119:2
The benefits of remaining in Christ are countless. We are empowered by the word of God and the Holy Spirit to be able to combat sin (Psalm 119:11) and to produce fruit (John 15:5). We also see another incredible promise of Christ when we abide in Him, "If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7)
This verse is not saying that because you abide in Christ that you get whatever you want...it's so much more than that. When you abide in Christ you are transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ because of the "renewing of your mind (Romans 12)". Because of that transformation you begin praying in Christ's name, or as He would have you pray. In fact, your desires and prayers change from a selfish focus to one that is more concerned about the Father, His glory and the salvation of those around you. That is what abiding in Christ does to us selfish people (and why it is so important).
My story does not end there, though. After I bought the new printer/scanner/copier/toaster oven/vacuum I took my old printer that was of no use to me and I threw it away. As I took that big ol' thing and tossed it into our trash bins I was made aware of the rest of John 15:
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (vs.1-2):
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (vs. 6)"
There are a few things happening in these verses.
First, we see that the branches that are "in Christ" are either removed or pruned. This may correspond with church discipline that tells us to remove those in sin from the body of Christ so that they may be handed over to Satan for "destruction of the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5)". The other part of that verse talks about pruning. This is an act that may be painful but because of the pruning the tree is able to produce even more fruit. Whether it's discipline from the Father or an attack from the enemy all of it is used to grow us and mature us in Christ so that we can be used more and more for His glory.
The second verse above is speaking of those who do "not abide" in Christ. These are those who never repent and trust in Christ for salvation. They are left to wither and eventually are thrown into the fire. Fire is often a symbol of judgment and Christ is giving us a picture of the eternal punishment of those who rebel against Christ.
So what camp do you find yourself in? Are you abiding in Christ? Maybe you are even being pruned so that you will produce more fruit. Remember, that is not a bad thing. Praise the Lord for this and use that time to grow more and more into the likeness of Christ.
Is there no fruit in your life? If this is the case, 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. While fruit is not needed to obtain salvation it is a product of salvation. I pray that you are not one that this passage speaks of being tossed into the fire. If you are not sure then I encourage you to read the book of John and ask God to reveal Himself to you through His word. If you are honestly seeking the truth He will show Himself to you though His word. You will understand His amazing kindness and respond with repentance and faith.
Now I need to go scan some bread into my new printer so it can make toast. Yeah...it's that cool.
2 comments:
Just had to share this with you. I had gone to lunch with a friend and we had talked about a lot of things about God and His Kingdom...too numerous to detail here. But then when I got home and checked my emails, I had received my WBFJ Wednesday word! Your message "wet my appetite," and I clicked on your blog to read more. This blog addressed and answered many of the things we had talked about at lunch. It was like God was giving me a "gentle reminder" that Jesus was the vine and I am a branch who is to bear fruit, and that it's NOT the tedious details of MY life that drive me so insane...it's about GOD and HIS Kingdom! Thank you for being obedient to the Lord's spirit and writing this word today!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I have been meditating on this passage all week and knew the Lord was using it in my life. I am blessed even more to know that it has spoken into your life. Thanks again for your encouragement. God bless.
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