Abide

Just as these grapes won’t grow unless they’re attached to the vine, we won’t grow if we’re not attached to Jesus. In fact, John 15 says, “He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing.”

Think about that! If we’re not attached to Jesus with His life flowing through us, WE CAN DO NOTHING! (Not even one thing, according to the Greek.) In fact, Jesus said if we don’t abide in Him, we’re like a dead branch that’s cast into the fire. And if we DO bear fruit, He prunes us so that we’ll bear more fruit. Come to think of it—those hard things that happen in our lives may not be Satan attacking us.  It may be God using His pruning shears on us for a very good purpose—to create more fruit. 

We can do NOTHING apart from Jesus…but then He tells us that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask for whatever we desire and it will be done for us. WOW! His desires become our desires. 

The Greek for “abide” means to remain, dwell, sojourn with, tarry, continue with, to wait for, to endure, to continue to be present, to last. Stay with Jesus. Stay in His Word. Walk with Him and remain with Him. Don’t leave! 

And then ask and it will be done. I love what the Greek says about this. It will come into existence, it will appear in history, it will come upon the stage!

There’s so much power and LIFE in abiding and asking!!