"I Am"Sýnishorn

I am the true vine.

For six months, he agonized over the state of his soul. Each day, he resolved to not take his eyes off the Lord, but inevitably, daily pressures and the daily mail would vex his heart and he’d forget God. The more he wanted to be holy and happy, the more elusive those qualities became. He wondered if the blessings he longed for were purposely withheld from this life and reserved only for the next.

He knew he was poor and weak, and Jesus was rich and strong. The question wasn’t where to go, but how to access the resources that were his by faith. He purposed to try harder, fast more frequently, strive harder against sin, and rise earlier to spend more time in the Word. All these he did and more, but to no effect.

Then one day he received a letter from his friend who had struggled with a similar sense of failure. A line in his letter changed his life, and he later committed it to memory. His friend said, “But how do we get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.”

When Hudson Taylor read that sentence, a lightbulb turned on in his soul. At last, he understood his relationship with the Lord as a branch to the vine.

Jesus had a way of simplifying things. His relationship with his disciples wasn’t complicated. He was the Shepherd, they were the sheep; he was the vine, and they were the branches.

When painful pruning occurs, we stay connected, holding on to the vine. As we abide in the vine, we prove we belong to him, and we increasingly bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit (John 15:2,5,8).

Perhaps, like Taylor, you know a similar anguish in your soul. You’re trying to do all the things you know you’re supposed to do in order to prove you’re a fruitful Christian. You go through the motions of devotion, but deep inside you lack spiritual power and victory over sin. Stressed and joyless, the only way you know how to “fix” it, is to try harder.

Are you striving after faith, instead of resting in your relationship with the vine? Abiding is an act of trust whereby we stay, trusting that our connection to the vine will provide all that we need to remain faithful and fruitful.

Do you know this vine? Abiding in the vine is the key to getting your prayers answered, your fruit growing, and your joy filled. It’s both simple and profound: he’s the vine, and you are a branch. The victories and joys of abiding are for the here and now, not the sweet by and by. So strengthen your faith, weary one. Stop striving after faith, and rest on the Faithful One. This is the abiding life.

If you've enjoyed this plan, you might also enjoy The Paths of the Righteous. A free ebook about the character of our Good Shepherd through a look at Psalm 23. Download your free copy here .

Respond

• A simple definition of abiding means to stay or remain. How are you actively abiding in the vine?
• Jesus said that those who abide in him will get their prayers answered, because they are praying according to his will. Do you feel that your prayers are regularly answered by God? How does your engagement in his Word affect the way you pray?
• Jesus said that branches that abide will increasingly bear fruit. Can you see spiritual fruit growing in your life?