Abide – song by Aaron Williams
We can do nothing apart from abiding in Jesus. God, the great pruner, Jesus the great vine, and us as his followers, the branches; what a beautiful picture Jesus paints in the Gospel of John about our dependence on him to be fruitful Christ followers in this world.
Remain and Bear Fruit
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:1–11 ESV)
It’s not only a beautiful picture, but a full one. Remain in Christ and in the love he has shown you, and you will joyfully and plentifully bear fruit in this life. To then forsake full dependence on Jesus will only ever result in death. As he speaks to his disciples here, and to us thousands of years later, he gives a shepherdly warning of what state of being we should walk in. Don’t try to produce life-filled results without being attached to the only thing that gives life.
With this, we should pause and think: am I truly dependent on Jesus? Or am I dependent primarily on earthly realities? Do I sit in, remain in, abide in the truth and words of Jesus Christ, and allow that to drive my future, or do my career aspirations drive that? Do I pursue a fruitful life or a happy and gratifying one? Do I care more about what my church and its services do for me rather than BEING the church and living a life of true followership? In the eighth verse, Jesus says the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit and so prove to be his disciples. Contemplation about whether or not we’re abiding in and by Jesus’ words is going to be fruitful in of itself.
Natural Giftings and Spiritual Giftings
A final thought as we contemplate the fruitfulness of our lives thus far: how dependent are we as Christians on our natural giftings as opposed to pursuing our spiritual giftings? Now, there is a place for us all to use the natural giftings that God has given us. Mine is music. But abiding in Jesus Christ, remaining in his word to bear much fruit, is not something meant for my natural gifts. If I try to live out my Christian life—trying to effectively use my natural giftings so that I produce good fruit in my life—where is the dependence on Jesus and where is the part where God is glorified? Even if I give God credit for my musical abilities, do I still not share in some of the glory when I use that gift for the church? So doesn’t God receive all the glory when I produce fruit outside my natural ability, showing that he is the pure and whole source of the good things coming from my life?
I don’t want to ignore my natural giftings, but simultaneously, I don’t want to live my Christian life riding on the talents that I can claim as my own. Music is always going to be a part of my life, but here’s the thing, music is not my spiritual gift. The fruit that I am supposed to produce as a result of abiding in Jesus is not going to be material fruit. My Christian life should be fully dependent on Jesus to fulfill what he has called me to do, and in that journey, God will continue to prune and mature me. In that, God is glorified, and he will give me the fullest joy. I urge us all to pursue this way of living, solely dependent on the vine.
—Luke Soliwoda