“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. “(John 15:5)
What does it mean to remain in Jesus? We cannot see Him or even touch him, because Jesus is spirit. So what did Christ mean when He told the disciples to remain in Him?
Jesus was telling the disciples then and is telling us now that we need to obey Him. We need to obey the Word of God.
For example: Jesus said: “… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you …” (Matthew 5:44)
So when someone persecutes you or makes himself your enemy, instead of striking back or plotting revenge, those who follow Christ have to love their enemies and pray for them. When you obey what Jesus said, you are in Him, in other words: remaining in Him. It’s that simple.
It’s like following a recipe. You need to buy the correct ingredients and use them as instructed. If you substitute some ingredients and, for example, use water instead of milk, whatever you make will come out completley different from what the recipe prescribed. It may even taste very bad. But if you follow all the instructions to the letter, your dish will come out perfectly.
In the same way, the Word of God is like the recipe book. You open it and read the instructions. When you’re done identifying all the necessary ‘ingredients’, you look for how to implement them in your life, so that you can get the perfect results.
No matter what you’re looking for: a happy family, successful business, fulfilling relationships or even better health, the Word of God contains all the ‘recipes’ for these things. When you heed the word of God, you are spiritually embracing Jesus and wherever you go, He will go with you. There are some that have the Bible and yet do not know the power it holds. They don’t even obey what is written in it. These people will always be worried, anxious, afraid and tempted to use emotional faith. They will ask themselves: Why does God not hear my prayers? Why am I not getting that job I asked for? Who will ever marry me? Will my husband ever stop drinking and abusing me?
But the moment the person opens the Word of God and follows the ‘recipes’ that Christ left behind, they will overcome.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:7-8)
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