Remain in Me

If you are in the midst of trial today, you can be thankful.

No, really.
In a practical, ‘hands on’ way, you’ve been given a gift.
For in the nature of what your trial offers, you’ve been given a ‘yellow brick road’ to a critical, vital (in God’s description) requirement for fruitfulness. This principle is absolutely essential to displaying God’s grace in your life.
(Wait & I’ll explain how this works in a moment…)

If you are not in the midst of an overwhelming trial, or are in a perpetual trial that you’ve grown somewhat accustomed to (though not happy with), this requirement is more difficult to grab hold of.
You have reason (urgency?!) to take note…as it is easily overlooked.

What am I talking about?

Jesus said,
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
… and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.” John 15

Remain in me. Some translations render this, Abide in me.
The passage seems to indicate an active response, a volitional (choice) directive to follow: Remain in me.
To follow the analogy of John 15, this seems to indicate drawing strength, nutrient, life and power from the Vine.
And Jesus says it is absolutely essential to being fruitful in our lives. To displaying the fruit God created us to produce.

How do trials pave the way for this?
If we respond appropriately, trials thrust us at God’s feet, beckoning us to draw strength, life, and wisdom from Him. We come to the end of ourselves, and are positioned to place ourselves needy and wholly dependent on Him.
So we search His Word, seek Him in prayer, decry and deny self reliance and independence. We are passionate in our pursuit of God, His ways, His answer, His strength.

(Sounds amazingly similar to our earlier description to remain in Christ.)
It is no surprise, then, when our trials (responded to in faith & obedience) often and regularly bring rich, fruits of God’s grace.  (See James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3)

It is the other times of life that call for more vigilance.
For in those times of seeming regularity, “ease”, not-perfect-but-no-big-trial-either, that we can drift away….
Attention to God’s Word, our pursuit of Him, this becomes less of a priority
Our passion for His direction, His strength, becomes less of a focus and motivation.
(And I don’t mean passion in the sense of emotion, but in a singular, predominant intensity for God that shows in how we live.. in what is most important to us...in how we spend our time.)
Time in cultivating our relationship with Him, worship, and confession of sin wanes.
Abiding in Him, remaining in our Vine, becomes more of a duty and less of a desire. Perhaps remains just a good intention.

We drift.
We don’t MEAN to, but life’s busy-ness, its responsibilities, sometimes breeds okayness and we see ‘normal’ where instead great concern should be present.
Our Vine is given littler attention…our fruit is lessening….our obedience falters.
We neglect to REMAIN IN THE VINE as Jesus commanded.

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.”  John 15:9
We make small His love. We don’t remain.

Check your passion pulse.
Is it beating wildly for the VINE?
Pray (and pursue Him) to this end.