Sep 19, 2023
Are you the kind of
person who enjoys checking things off your to-do list?
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. John 15:5
ESV
We spoke about abiding
in yesterday's message. Look for it if you haven't heard it. Today,
I want to concentrate on the phrase, "for apart from me, you can do
nothing." What did Jesus mean?
Certainly, he couldn't
mean absolutely nothing. Apart from Jesus many things have been
done. But I think he's talking about things that will matter
forever. We can't bear any eternal fruit. We can't lay up any
treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20) apart from Jesus, either.
Are we just in this
life for what we can get in this life? Or do we want to believe in
something beyond this life? If you want to believe something beyond
the years in this body, then Jesus is very clear. There is only one
way to get to the next life with any choices.
And when I consider
this 2nd life that lasts forever, I can consider how by abiding
Jesus I can do something. Apart from him I can do nothing. So I
concentrate on Jesus and what he would have me do. Then I must
trust that what I'm doing amounts to "something."
Today, do you want to
do "something?" Let's concentrate on Jesus and then trust him. If
we can join him, know him, grow our trust in him, believe him,
study him. If we can learn about him from our local church and from
trusted teachers and friends who follow him, then we can expect
we're doing something. Our life makes a difference. This is one of
the reasons we say, what we do because we follow Jesus matters,
forever. If you'd like to grow closer to Jesus and abide in him,
get around his people. One place you can do that online is at
https://community.FollowerofOne.org.