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Abiding in Christ

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Abiding in Christ

Pay keen attention to Jesus' words in John 15 vs 5: “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”.

        The allegorical references Jesus assigns to himself as the vine and to us Christians as fruit bearing branches demands our ultimate attention. Jesus is the vine, the true source of our freedom, joy, peace and without Him, we can do nothing. He promised us that if we remain in Him, our lives will produce much fruits. If we stay connected to Him, He will supply everything we need to live an impactful life. He emphatically encourages us to remain in Him, as remaining in Him is crucial to the vitality of our lives and fulfilling our destiny. He is the only true vine; hence we must DAILY receive nourishment from Him to become and stay fruitful. 

                In John 15:5, Jesus clearly inform us that if we remain in Him, we will produce much fruit. One can ask what does much fruit means. Fruits are basically the consequences of every decision or action one make. As Christians we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5 vs 13-14). As joint heirs of Christ (Romans 8:17) we are called for a higher purpose, a life above earthly limitations, above sickness, depression, sin, shame and guilt. However, all these promises will only come to reality when we abide in Him. By making the decision and taking action to remain in Him, we receive divine empowerment to be a difference maker. world changer and to live a victorious impactful Christian life just as Christ lived while He was on earth. When we remain in Him, we are bound to produce fruits. In Galatians, the Bible tells us about the fruits of the Holy Spirit; the results or evidence of God’s working in our lives. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness and self-control. These are supernatural attributes that are far beyond our human nature. As we abide in him, these supernatural attributes regarded as the fruits of the Holy Spirit becomes our nature. The consequences of abiding in Christ will be loving people more, showing kindness to people with no expectations in return, and making a difference in the world.

            His love toward us is so infinite that he freely gives us the formula to live a victorious Christian life and in fruition be a world change agent. The great formula is 'to abide in him'. What does it mean to abide in Christ? It means to daily seek Him, which in retrospect means to daily meditate and live in accordance with His word. To paraphrase it means to be consistent in his presence, consistent in His word, in prayer, and in His love. Every Christian has two natures: the flesh and the spirit. We do not abide in Christ, when we live by our sinful nature, ‘the flesh’. We remain in Christ by walking in the Spirit. By staying connected to the vine, "Jesus Christ", our lives will produce much fruit.

Prayer: Oh God my Father, give me the grace to always abide in you, in Jesus' name.
    
                                                                
 Nelson McEwen

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