Loving God
How do I make “Loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength” a living reality?
In other words, how do I love God with whole-hearted, life encompassing, community impacting devotion on a daily basis, both publicly and privately? One of the ways Jesus answered this question can be found in the parable of the “Vine and the Branches” found in John 15: 1-8. In this parable, the "vine" is Christ Jesus, the "vinedresser" is the Eternal Father, and the "branches" are the Lord’s disciples. We can infer from the context of John 15:1-8 that "fruit" symbolizes good deeds, characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus says in John 15:4: "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." The New International Version says, "Remain in me, as I will remain in you." The Amplified Bible says, "Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you." But the obvious question arises, what does it mean to abide in Jesus Christ as the branches in the vine? I believe three things are implied: connection, dependence, and continuance.
First, Connection. Abiding in Jesus first of all means having a life-giving connection to him. A branch is connected to the vine, and a vine to the branch. This is what theologians frequently describe as “union with Christ.” Notice that this connection, this union, is mutual. We abide in him and he abides in us (v. 4). If there is no connection, there is no life, no fruit.
Second, Dependence. Abiding also implies dependence. This aspect of abiding, unlike connection, is not reciprocal. The branch is dependent on the vine, but the vine is not dependent on the branch. The branch derives its life and power from the vine. Without the vine, the branch is useless, lifeless, powerless. Sap flows from the vine to the branch, supplying it with water, minerals, and nutrients that make it grow. And believers receive the “sap” of Christ’s grace through our life-giving connection to him. We are completely dependent upon Jesus for everything that counts as spiritual fruit (v. 4). Apart from him, we can do nothing (v. 5).
Finally, Continuance. Abiding also involves continuance. In fact, “abide” (Greek, meno) means to remain, or stay, or continue. For example, in John 1:38-39, two of the disciples who first encountered Jesus asked him “Where are you staying?” They wanted to know where Jesus made his residence. The word “staying” is the same word translated “abide” in John 15. To abide is to reside. To abide is to continue, to stay, to remain. This shows us that another aspect of abiding in Jesus is remaining in Jesus. This simply means that we go on trusting, that we keep on depending, that we never stop believing. In summary, to abide in the vine means to be united to Jesus (connection), to rely on Jesus (dependence), and to remain in Jesus (continuance).
That leads to a final question: how do you abide? If abiding in Jesus involves ongoing daily dependence on him, what does that look like? Jesus himself tells us. We abide in Jesus by letting his words abide in us (v. 7) and by abiding in his love (v. 9-10). To put it simply, abiding in Jesus doesn’t require advancing beyond the gospel to something else. It doesn’t necessarily demand a crisis decision or a mystical experience. It just means keeping the words of Jesus in our hearts and minds, so that they are renewing and reviving us, shaping and sanctifying us, filling and forming us. And it means keeping ourselves in his infinite, enduring, sin-bearing, heart-conquering, life-giving love.
So, as I close, if you have a great desire to love God with all that you are, with heart, soul and mind, let me urge you not just to try harder but to soak yourself in the love of God for you. Remind yourself daily of the amazing sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as you do so, may He by the power of the Holy Spirit, empower you to lay down your life for Him as He laid down His life for you.