Day 2: Abide and Live

Come Before Him In Worship: Invite the Lord into your physical and figurative space. He’s the All in All who fills everything everywhere with Himself. In Him, you live, move, and have your being. Receive Him as truth and life. Humble yourself before Him, and acknowledge Him in all your ways. “Lord, I welcome You! I am Your resting place, Great Shepherd and Keeper of my soul. Thank You for what You will do!”

“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 15:5

Devotion: The relationship of a believer (a “branch”) to Jesus (the “vine”) is a living one. The branch-life is a life of complete dependence on the vine. In the vine, it flourishes and grows. Separated from the vine, it dies. The vine gives life. With this simple analogy, Jesus teaches us a beautiful gospel truth: other religions and teachers tell us how we ought to live, giving us laws, examples, reasons and motives for how to live pure and noble lives; but Jesus gives us life itself, if we will take it! The powerful, pure and noble life of Christ alive in us and working its way out in our lives in Spirit-empowered obedience to his commandments and laws of love, freedom and life.

Put a different way, other religions and teachers stand over the crippled man shouting, “This is the way you ought to walk,” while offering no healing! But Christ and Christianity lovingly bend to the crippled man, take His hand, and say to Him, “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk,” thus enabling him, not just to walk, but to leap with joy and praise to God. (Acts 3:7-8)

Jesus gives us more than just commandments, examples and motives! He gives us His love and power which then enable us to live righteous, godly lives that bear the fruit of His Spirit and bring life to the people and world around us. And so, abiding in Him is not so much a work we have to do, as it is a surrender to the work that He wants to do in us and through us.

Respond in Prayer: Father, You have taught me that the fruit that is eternal comes from being conformed into Your image. You have shown me through Jesus what true humility and obedience looks like as He gave Himself away to You wholeheartedly, putting You first in all things. And this is my desire! So, help me surrender wholly to You as You lead me so graciously into Truth. I yield to Your way in and for me, acknowledging that You are the Potter and I am the clay. O come what may, for Christ the Lord is with me!