I AM THE VINE
John
15:5 I
AM the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will
bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
When we get sick we go to a
doctor to get relief from the illness. He will examine our condition and then
prescribe a medication for us to take. The medicine is taken for several days
and before long we are recovered. We don’t revisit the doctor again until there
is a recurrence or the initial illness does not go away. Most people do not
regularly visit the doctor for preventative treatments. Yes, we might go once a
year for a check-up, but even that is rare for most. Never do we go each day to
the doctor for preventative treatment, unless of course you are a
hypochondriac.
The Great Physician, Jesus,
tells us we are to remain with him each day. Unless we are in Him daily we are
not truly his child, nor can we be assured of a healthy Christian life. Unlike
our medical doctor, daily doses of Jesus are a must. They are not just to
prevent our sinful nature from taking over us, but daily time with Jesus
ensures that we receive the nourishment that we need to grow as he chooses.
Ten times Jesus tells us to
“remain” in this teaching. If we remain in Him, he will remain in us. As a
branch can only bear fruit if it remains in the vine, our lives cannot bear
godly fruit unless we remain in Jesus. He promises that if we remain in him we
will bear much fruit. Apart from remaining in Jesus our lives will be a wasted
branch that is good for nothing. As we remain in Jesus and his words remain in
us we can ask him whatever we wish and it will be given to us. (Of course,
remaining in him will change the things that we ask him for!) Lastly, he says
we are to remain in his love. We can remain in his love by obeying his
commands, just like He remains in the Father’s love by obeying.