Connect with Christ
Hello Bride of Christ,
In John 15:4, Jesus gives us a powerful command: "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."
This simple but profound statement encapsulates the heart of God’s desire throughout Scripture: His relentless pursuit of a relationship with us. From the very beginning, God weaved through His Word the truth of His desire to be near us, to walk with us, and to live in communion with His people. Today, I want to explore how this invitation to "abide" in Christ is not just a call for our personal devotion, but a command meant to transform our lives.
God's Desire for Relationship from the Beginning
From the very first pages of the Bible, we see God's desire for connection with His creation.
Genesis 1:26-27: God created man in His own image—this speaks to the intentionality behind our design. He could have made us any way He wanted, but He chose to make us in His image so that we could relate to Him. He wanted us to know Him, to walk with Him, and to be in fellowship with Him.
Genesis 3:8: Even after the fall, when Adam and Eve sinned, God still pursued them. "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day..." God didn’t abandon them; He came seeking them. Even in their sin, He longed for a relationship.
God's Pursuit of Relationship through Covenants
As we move through the narrative of Scripture, we see God continually drawing near to His people. He enters into covenants to establish His relational commitment.
Genesis 12:2-3: God makes a covenant with Abraham, saying, "I will make you a great nation... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." God’s relational pursuit extends beyond Israel to all nations, inviting everyone into His blessing through a relationship.
Exodus 19:5-6: God calls Israel to be His "treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.” He sets apart a people to show the world what it looks like to live in a relationship with the Creator.
Exodus 25:8: God says, "Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." God desires to be near us, to dwell with us, not as a distant deity, but as a personal and present God.
The Fulfillment of God's Invitation
The greatest revelation of God’s desire for relationship comes in the person of Jesus Christ. In John 1:14, we read "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus came to make the invisible God visible, so that we could understand, in a tangible way, the relationship God offers.
In this context—Jesus’ earthly ministry—He speaks these words to His disciples in John 15:4: "Abide in Me, and I in you." Jesus, the true vine, invites us to remain, stay, and dwell with Him.
The Meaning of "Abide"
The word "abide" in Greek is meno, means to remain, stay, or lodge with. It’s not a passive action; it’s an ongoing, active decision. The verb abide in John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you,” is in the imperative mood, which means it is a command, not a suggestion. Jesus is not asking us to consider remaining in Him, He is commanding it. This is not a casual request; it is a call to make a continual, active choice to remain in Him. The Greek tense of abide is aorist, which suggests this action is ongoing. It’s not just a one-time decision—it’s continuous, regardless of time or circumstances. Jesus is commanding us to continually remain in Him, to stay connected to the source of life at all times. Think of it like charging your laptop. We plug it in, charge it up, and then unplug it to use it. But if we don’t stay connected to the power source, the battery dies. Similarly, we cannot expect to "live off stored energy" for our spiritual life. We must remain plugged into the source of life—Jesus—at all times.
The Choice to Abide
Jesus goes on to explain, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” A branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine. A branch cut off from the vine cannot produce fruit. This brings us to the second usage of abide in John 15:4, where it shifts from the imperative (a command) to the subjunctive mood, and from aorist tense to present tense, meaning the action is now conditional—it depends on our right now choice.
We have a decision to make right now: will we choose to remain in Christ? Will we choose to stay connected to the vine, to abide in Him continually, or will we try to live apart from Him, running on our own stored-up strength?
The Invitation to Live in Christ
Bride of Christ, I invite you right now to make your choice. I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your own relationship with Christ. Are you abiding in Him? Are you staying connected to the vine, or have you been running on "stored energy"? Take time to pray and ask the Lord to show you where to reconnect with Him. Write down your thoughts, prayers, or even draw or doodle what you sense the Lord is speaking to you today.
Here is the promise, as we continue to abide in Christ, we will bear fruit. Our lives will reflect His love, His power, and His glory. We will become more like Him, and we will fulfill the purpose He has for us. Let’s choose to stay connected to the true vine, drawing our life and strength from Him, moment by moment, day by day.
“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,” said Jesus to His disciples. (John 15:16, NKJV)
