Before 2018 ended, we went up to the Cloud of Glory Prayer Mountain in Lilo-an Cebu. It is a place where our church built for us to get away from the hussle of life in the city and seek the face of God.
For the past two years I have asked the Lord for His one word for me every year. Or should I say, my spiritual theme for the year. This year, God’s one word for me was REMAIN. In another translation from the Bible – ABIDE.
While browsing through my online notebook, I came across with one of the exhortations I made last 2017. I may have written this two years ago but this is a good reminder for me this 2019 and for the rest of my life.
In John 15:1 Jesus declared, “I Am the True Vine and my Father is the vinedresser.” , This was the last of the seven “I Am” declarations of Jesus recorded in the Book of John. This was His last message to His disciples before His pending crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension. Knowing that His temporal leaving bothered His disciples, Jesus encouraged them with this beautiful metaphor as the True Vine Himself and God the Vinedresser.
The vine gives us a picture of a close, permanent and vital union with it’s branches. It is symbolic of entirely belonging to the vine. Jesus was saying “You are entirely Mine and I am all you need.” Jesus was saying although I will be physically away, I will continue to nourish, support, and sustain you like a vine sustaining and nourishing it’s own branches as long as it is attached to the Vine, as long as they abide in Christ.
John 15:5 says “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
The word abide has been repeated 10x in the first 10 verses of Chapter 15. Jesus emphasized our need to abide in Him.
The word abide in the Greek means “we make our home in.” Abiding in Christ is much more than just being beside Him, it is making our home in Christ. Making our home is His love. And when we make Christ our home, we will see Him in all His beauty, stand in awe of His greatness, glory in His power and experience His strength.
Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.“
Love,
Christian Mom
I did not know “the word abide in the Greek means ‘we make our home in.’” What beautiful imagery! Jesus is our home where we feel safe, comfortable, and cared for. It just so happens I’m in the process of memorizing John 15:1-17 right now. As I recite all those “remains” I’ll think of your explanation! Thank you, Christian Mom! P.S. Thank you for becoming a follower of my blog, From the Inside Out. I pray you’ll find the posts meaningful whenever you’re able to visit!
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Wow! Thank you for the encouragement Nancy ❤️ I sure will be blessed and refreshed in Christ with your posts. 😊
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Thank you for the repost! ❤️
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I want to thank you for your follow. Life circumstances have kept me from writing new blogs for a time. So I hope my previous posts will be a source of encouragement for you until I can resume at least some new posts. Thanks again and God bless.
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Can’t wait for your next blog 😊
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