Nov 05 2009
John 15:3, 4 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (NIV)
One of the critical parts of our walk with Christ is to be in the Word. We did not hear Him speak but reading the Word is as if we had. He promises that we are made clean because of hearing what He said. What a profound promise; He speaks, we hear, we listen, we follow and all is made right with God. All our condemned failures washed away. However, we can only stay clean by remaining in Him, speaking to Him in prayer, studying and internalizing His words and then with his help revising the way we think and act to bring glory to the one true God. No branch of grapes can bear fruit if it is cut away from the vine. It withers and dies, all potential lost. We separate ourselves from Him by the choices we make and run the risk of becoming pruning fodder. But never forget, our bad choices are washed away by a sincere request for forgiveness and then repentance. His desire is for us to have a satisfying, fruitful life but at the same time He’s offering the only way to get it. He knows that without Him, lasting satisfaction is not possible. No matter how hard we try, without Christ at the center of all we do, we settle for good when He offers great!
