New Wine - Day 17

John 15:4. . . Remain in me. . .

We should talk just about this text today. It is just a little part of a much greater whole, but it makes sense to linger here.

While working on my doctoral thesis, I spent much time thinking, studying, and exegeting the idea of the Trinity as a model for community. This one phrase stuck in my mind above all the other phrases: “Mutual Abiding.”

The more I studied it, the clearer it became the Trinity works and makes sense because of the time and effort each member of the Godhead had put into simply abiding with one another. They were so close to being one, and they did not function as anything other than a community, a unit, a cohesive whole. As I read, it had massive impacts on particular parts of scripture.

John 14, John 15, and John 21 were some of the texts that were most profoundly impacted by this idea. So When Jesus says “. . . remain in me. . .” he means something very specific. He is talking about the time, energy, and priority he has put into abiding with one another. In the vineyard, the grapes grow to ripeness because they remain. When picked too early, they are not yet ripe and are bitter; too late and sour. However, when they remain until the right point, they are some of the sweetest things in God’s creation.

When Jesus asks us to remain in him, it means that we are to remain close to the vine that gives us sustenance so that we might grow closer to the source of life, which is Christ. We grow toward Christ, are sustained by Christ, and learn from Christ. This makes us strong, grows our roots deep, and helps us bear fruit.

So, how will you remain in Christ? How will you create an environment that constantly brings you back to Jesus? There are times in our lives when rather than creating good habits, we need to create the right environments so our habits can thrive. Are you a morning person, how can the mornings help your spiritual walk? How can your evenings point you toward Christ? Does your job help or hinder your walk with Christ? How can you remain in him more profoundly today?