Reflecting on John 15:“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
What does it mean to remain (or abide, stay) in Jesus?
Jesus adds “and my words remain in you” (v.7) to expand what He means.
I think this describes the way a student remains close to their teacher.
They constantly watch, listen and learn, paying close attention.
And they cling to what they hear, see and learn, every word.
Because Jesus is not with us on earth, we rely on the Jesus Stories.
The Spirit of Jesus reminds us of what He said and did.
We devote our attention to these stories, allowing them to form us.
The more we focus on Jesus, the more we start to behave like Him.
His values, motives and ways become ours, and we bear similar fruit.
I am concerned that many christians have displaced Jesus as the focus.
We focus on the whole bible, and are more shaped by Moses, David, or Paul.
We focus on church leaders, like Luther, Calvin, Graham, Bell or Driscoll.
We can learn from them (good and bad), but we should not remain in them.
Only as we remain in Jesus do we we shine with the glory of God’s love, joy, peace!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You are my vision, my focus, my longing and my need. As I contemplate Your glory, I am being transformed into Your image with ever-increasing glory. Help me to keep on remaining in You!