513 Abide with Me

To abide with Jesus is to join with Him in faith. Jesus is the true vine, men and women the branches. A union of the Divine and the human natures. The Christian becomes fruitful when he stands firm with Jesus. The life of the vine and its branches depend on the health of the unseen roots. So too is every person’s life a reflection of their roots—whether in Christ or in the world. The roots nourish, support, and sustain the tree through in good and inclement weather. When one’s roots are in the Lord, no matter what circumstances surround the believer, he remains firmly planted, able to withstand the storms of life.

A vine’s purpose is to produce fruit. The fruit ripens and matures dependent on the water, care, and nutrients it receives from the roots. The words we speak, the thoughts we think, and the things we do, reveal the fruit of our lives as human branches firmly connected to Christ. Our fruitfulness depends on the choices we make today, tomorrow, and every day as our reliance on Christ grows. The husbandman must prune the branch if it is to bear good fruit. We, too, experience pruning from the people, trials, and tribulations that come our way. When we move away from the vine during difficult times, we dry up, our fruit withers, and we become unfit for our purpose. When we depend on Jesus, our faith and trust grow, the fruit of our life becomes sweeter and more desirable. We rely more and more on Him to provide the nourishment and support we need for each day.

Won’t you choose this day to grow more fruitful in every good word and work? Would you choose to depend on Him more and on the things of the world less? Let the fruit of your life become sweet and desirable to all those whose lives you touch. Now is a great time to ask the Lord to remind you to draw on His nourishment, His support when faced with the storms you will encounter this day. Oh Lord, “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide.”