Saturday, November 13, 2021

Abide in Me – A Social Initiative

 

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” – John 15:1

 There are so many social initiatives to better our world. I doubt anyone can count them.  We want to save the climate, the whales, the sea turtles, the forests, the grasslands, and so forth.  But the greatest initiative we have is to bring Jesus to all people.  Saved people are eternal people.  It is Gods plan in a nutshell. 

Yet in our world today, there’s very little evidence of God’s ways.  We have children killing their parents, parents killing their babies, young people killing total strangers on our highways and in gatherings of people.  We have no care for life at all anymore.  Life means nothing! Why? Because we’ve left the giver of life out. 

Jesus said “abide in me”.  That means our life should be lived through Him.  Think of it as putting on a full body suit of Jesus.  Our hands become His hands.  Our feet become His feet.  Our words become His words.  If we abide, live in Him, we bear the fruit God wants from us: saved souls, the lost being found, the 1 sheep that wandered away is found. 

But Jesus goes on to say in verse 5 “for without Me you can do nothing”.  Oh that doesn’t mean we do absolutely nothing, sitting on our hands every day.  It means that nothing good can come from us.  Remember what is says about our heart?  It is deceitful, desperately sick, evil continually (Jeremiah 17:9, Genesis 6:5).  Reflect on that…deceit, sick, evil.  Is that not what the world is like today?

Now, here’s the hard part.  If we, Christians, are supposed to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), and the world is full of evil and darkness, who went wrong?  It wasn’t God.  It wasn’t Jesus.  It wasn’t the evil people of this world.  If the light goes out, it’s because we don’t abide in Jesus.   We abide where we can do nothing good.

My Christian Brothers and Sisters, it’s time to get out of the dark closet and be who we’re supposed to be – a city on a hill that CANNOT be hidden (Matthew 5:14).  We need to fall in love with Jesus again.  We need to dwell in Him – our feet are His, our hands are His, our voice is His.  Our fruit is going rotten because we no longer abide in Him.

Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me,” – John 14:11a

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” – John 14:18

 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” – John 14:23

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. “ – John 15:14

 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” – John 15:16

 

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Jesus' Kingship




“Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” – John 6:15

At this time, Jesus had been teaching a multitude of people that followed Him. He had just fed five thousand people with the two fish and five barley loaves and taken up 12 baskets full of fragments of the meal.

Jesus, knowing their intent to make Him their king, departed. But what if He had not?

If he had remained, they would have made Him their King, their ruler. They would have worshipped Him instead of God. And their worship would not have been for who He was (the Son of God) but for what He did. And in the end, He would not have been our Savior.

Sometimes we must give up opportunities for fame and importance to possess a more important goal. In this life, which is temporary, many will have popularity. But the Kings and Superstars of this world fade away like the flowers of Spring.

Jesus had a greater goal than an earthly Kingdom. Through His sacrifice He became not only our King, but also our High Priest, our Savior, our Judge, and our brother. He was granted more power than this earth could offer.

"And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” - John 6:25-27