Friday September 13th
Abiding in Him-Life Line

John 15:1-27

Commit-to give in trust, to put into the hands or power of another, to entrust.

Commitment-confidence in something present or future, entrusting, confidence.

Jesus is the true vine and the Father is the vine dresser and we are the branches. 

When we come to salvation in Jesus we are connected to Him, just as a branch is connected to the vine, feeding us and we drawing our nourishment from it.

As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him.

Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 [Amp.] (I pray this often in my life.)

So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.
And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.   John 8:31-32 [Amp]

He is our source, apart from Him we can do nothing.  We cannot bear fruit of ourselves, we need to abide in Him.  He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it to bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.  He is always at work in our lives, perfecting us.

 

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.
Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.
But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. James 1:2-3

But if we are not bearing fruit then we are cut off and thrown away and dry up and then cast into the fire to be burned. 

When we are abiding in Him and bearing much fruit it glorifies the Father and proves that we are His disciples. 

If we keep His commandments  we will abide in His love; just as He has kept His Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 

These things He has spoken to us that His joy may be in us and that our joy may be made full.

In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.  

Psalm 16:11

There is so much in this chapter but I wanted to focus on abiding in Him.   It truly is a commitment to abide in Him.  He promises us that if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit and His joy in us will be full.

I want to share this story from Corrie Ten Boom,

Corrie was in solitary confinement in Ravensbruck ,  a work camp…she says for the first time ever, she was really alone, and she knew her life was completely in the hands of the enemy.  They could kill her, or torture her of just forget about her all together.  She could hear the cries of those being tortured, as she says it was a little bit of hell.  

When she lost courage, she tried singing, but the guards pounded on her door and demanded silence.  They threatened to take her to the dark cell where you had to stand in water.  Time became for her a very thick thing that she struggled to wade through.  It lasted 4 months.  

She cried out to the Lord, “Lord I’m not strong enough to endure this.  I don’t have the faith!”

Suddenly, she noticed an ant which she had watched roaming the floor of the cell for days.  She had just mopped the floor with a wet rag and the moment the ant felt the water on the stones, he ran straight to his tiny hole in the wall.  Then it was as if the Lord said to me, What about that ant?  He didn’t stop to look at the wet rag or his weak feet-he went straight to his hiding place.  Corrie, don’t look at your faith; it is weak, like the tiny feet of that ant.

Don’t dwell on the treatment you might receive from these cruel people.  I am your hiding place, and you can come running to Me just like that ant disappeared into that hole in the wall.  That brought real peace into her heart.  

She says,” I was 53 years old, and I had always known about Jesus, but there in solitary confinement I began to really understand and experience for myself that His light is stronger than the deepest darkness.”

Come to Me, all you who have heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Matt. 11:28.  

When you can believe that, you will know Someone is still interested in you.  

Someone still cares about you-not as a number, but as a person.  

Taken from the book He sets the captive free my Corrie Ten Boom.

I share this story because Corrie was a major person in my walk with the Lord when I first became a Christian.  I could not imagine being in a prison with no way out and how she found her strength in the Lord alone.

 

Our God is real and alive,  just as Corrie did, find your strength in Him and in Him alone.   He truly is committed to you and you can be committed to Him.