.... that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11). We are in John 15 this morning (obviously). Jesus tells us He is the true vine, and we are the branches. If we abide in Him, and His Words abide in us we will bear much fruit. Without Him we can do nothing (verses 1, 5, 7). And then in verse 11, He is telling us these things that His joy may be in us and our joy may be full. How are you doing this morning, how am I doing? Do you, do I have fullness of joy? Here's the thing, if we don't, either Jesus' Words are hollow and meaningless, or we have not lived up to our part in the bargain. As for me, I'm not going to blame the Lord! And when I read things like I am reading this morning (and they are written all over His Word), it challenges me once again to press in, to be determined with His help to do what I need to do, to do my part.
The passage itself explains much about what it means to abide in Him. We see from the with picture that we are the branches, that a “branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine” (verse 4). The branch draws is sustenance from the vine. So from where are we drawing our sustenance? What am I feeding on? During this time I have not been listing much to the news, and I have been fasting from Netflix. But it's not just what I don't feed on, it's what I do feed on. In verse 7 Jesus ties abiding in Him with His Words abiding in us. The Greek word here is rhama – the spoken living Word, the words we hear when we are truly sheep that follow (John 10:27). They are the words that become rhama words as we meditate on the logos words of Scripture (Psalm 1). So we are talking about being readers, and doers of the Word (James 1:22), we are talking about a radical obedience.
It's not all up to us, “every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (verse 2). Note that it's the branches that bear fruit that He prunes. Pruning is not a lot of fun, but part of what He is saying here, is that the pruning is not punishment for something we've done. I am not saying He will not disciple us for disobedience (whom the Lord loves he disciplines Hebrews 12:6), only that when we truly understand, we realize it's a privileged to suffer for Him (Philippians 1:29). We will not know this if we are not vitally connected to Him. And as long as we keep fighting the people and circumstances that He allows, we will not have fullness of joy, and we will not bear much fruit.
Father, please teach us more about what it means to abide in You, and for Your Words to abide in us. Lord we haven't even looked at the other benefits of abiding this morning. You tell us for example then “you will ask what you desire and it will be given unto you” and that this brings glory to You (verse 7). Lord You know what I am asking for this morning, I'm believing I have received it, and I give Your the Glory in advance, in Jesus Name Amen
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