A few weeks ago we were getting ready to head out for school drop off when I glanced at the dresser and saw a small, lego-sized figure of Jesus looking right at me. I chuckled because it startled me and also because it was a physical reminder in that moment that I was not truly alone. Many times over the next few weeks I ran into one of two Jesus figures that are owned by my daughters. In the kitchen, next to the toothbrush, once left carelessly by the shoe rack.

Then one morning my five year old daughter was rummaging through the fridge and I saw that she was holding the Jesus figure in her hand. I asked her if she wanted me to hold it while she got a snack, to which she replied, “No thanks, He stays with me.”

“He stays with me.” Four words from the mind of a child that so simply paraphrase one of Jesus’ essential commands to His followers. In John 15:1, Jesus gives one of seven “I Am” statements, telling His disciples “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” He goes on to tell them to “abide” in Him. To abide means to remain, to stay or continue, to dwell. Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine likening His disciples to the branches. He states:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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: 4-5 (ESV)

Like the branches that remain connected to the vine from which they get nourishment in order to survive, we too must remain in Jesus, the true vine. He commands us to depend on Him for our spiritual sustenance just as the branch draws from the vine. When we abide in Him, we have his Living Water flowing into us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can grow in our ability to remain in Him and live life abundantly. Jesus compares God the Father to the vinedresser who prunes the branches, a process that allows the branches to flourish and eventually grow fruit.

The apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-23 what the spiritual fruits are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Abiding in Christ through the power of the Spirit is what enables us to grow in the Fruit of the Spirit, for apart from Him we can “do nothing”. (John 15:5) That growth process looks different for each follower of Christ and that is a wonderful gift. We are all made in His image, and as we learn to abide in Him through the different seasons of our lives, He is made manifest in us.

So how do we abide, or remain, in Christ? I would offer four ways we can encourage ourselves and each other in this process.

1. Repent - Repentance is an essential part of the Christian life. When God reveals Himself to us and we desire Him, we come to see our sin the way that He sees it. We naturally turn to adoration for His grace and mercy through the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. God wants your heart. He has already covered you in His righteousness through the work of Jesus! You can come to Him to confess and repent. As we seek a clean heart and a right spirit, He is faithful in His redemption, and we grow in our confidence in Him.
2. Renew - You were made new when you accepted Jesus as your Savior. This rebirth in Him is the first fruit of your salvation, which we are called to constantly work at. (Philippians 2:12) That includes the renewal of your mind! (Romans 12:2) As we learn to practice the spiritual disciplines of reading Scripture, prayer, worship, and meditation of God’s word, we feel His renewing power through the Spirit. Memorizing Scripture is a great way to practice remaining in Christ throughout the day. We keep Him close when we are thinking of Him and He will guide our actions, thoughts, and words as we practice abiding.
3. Rehearse - Practice, practice, practice! The author of Hebrews encourages us to run our race with endurance and perseverance. Like a runner must train, followers of Christ must also practice and rehearse the act of abiding in Him. Take it to the Lord in prayer. He is faithful to answer us as we seek the power of His Spirit to learn to abide and grow spiritual Fruit in our lives. But we must drink the Living Water and allow Him to lead us to green pastures to eat from as the sheep led by our Good Shepherd.
4. Repeat - They say that it takes two weeks to make a habit. We learn to abide in Christ by repeating these rhythms. This itself is the Fruit of faithfulness - being steadfast in our discipleship. God knows that we will struggle, but He has promised to neither leave us or forsake us. We can be confident in His promises!

I pray that we all take time this week to consider how we can remain in Christ and learn to abide in Him, our true vine.

KB