Abide

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 ESV)

My family was given a small flowering vine as a gift. It’s a beautiful leafy plant with bright yellow flower pedals, very happy looking! At first, this plant was taken excellent care of, getting watered daily and being properly positioned for prime exposure to sunlight.

However, as the newness of the thing wore off, it was put aside and forgotten until we noticed it was starting to shrivel. Immediately we poured water on the parched plant and it slowly returned to health.

Often, this simple, physical reality is played out in our spiritual lives. We begin a new Bible study, sermon series, or inspirational book and are devoted and engaged straight away. But again, as the newness wears off and our interests or responsibilities begin to change, we start wilting. When we neglect nourishment from Jesus the vine, we branches curl up and yellow.

Sometimes we can go months without looking at our spiritual reflection, and when we finally see ourselves, we’re suddenly spurred to take a fervent devotional bath, drenching ourselves in God’s word.

While plunging deeply into scripture is never a bad thing, we must remember that reactionary living never produces consistent growth. Abide in Jesus everyday, whether you’re “on fire” at the moment or not.

Read John 15 today and learn how Jesus instructs us to abide.