In the final post of this series, we will look at the
Product of Abiding.
The first product we see is
Fruit that remains.
John 15:16,
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:”
God wants us to experience the abundance of His blessings. He wants our lives to bear lasting spiritual fruit. When we abide in Him we will experience lasting spiritual fruit in our own lives as well as in the lives of those whom we invest in.
At the judgment seat of Christ we will be rewarded according to the fruit that we have produced during our earthly lives. The key to producing eternal fruit is remaining in Christ.
The second product we will experience is
Joy that remains.
John 15:11,
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
How is your JOY?
When we struggle with displaying true joy in our lives, it is a sign that we need to draw closer to Christ. Happiness is based upon our external circumstances, whereas joy is based upon our relationship with Christ. We cannot always control our external circumstances, but we can always find true joy in HIM. He desires for us to be filled with joy to the point of overflowing and being contagious to others.
Lastly, we will experience a
Spirit-Filled Life.
Galatians 5:22-23,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,”
Are these qualities displayed in your life?
We can only produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives if we are connected to the Vine. Others will only see Christ-like qualities in us when we are walking in fellowship with Him.
As we conclude, I would like us to ask ourselves – are we truly abiding in the Vine?
If we are all honest, we all have room for improvement in this area.
I would like to challenge you to think of some practical ways that can help you to abide more in the Vine. Here are several that I have thought of and perhaps you can add your own:
- Start a prayer list
- Spend more time in prayer
- Talk to God as you go about your day
- Get into the Word more
- Start memorizing and meditating on Scripture throughout the day – write Scripture on an index card
- Examine your priorities – Is your relationship with God your first priority?
- If you are struggling in this area, find someone to help keep you accountable
Andrew Murray said,
“To be occupied with Christ is to abide in Christ.”
Is your life occupied with Christ?
Is He first and foremost in your life?
Drawing closer to Him each and every day of our lives will result in experiencing the fruitful and abundant life God intended.
It is a day by day, moment by moment decision to walk with Him.
James 4:8,
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
God promises to draw nigh to us, but it first requires action on our part.
May we all be challenged to walk closer with Him!
Previous posts in this series:
The Pruning Procedures of Abiding
One of the biggest things I have been doing this year is listening to the scriptures as I am commuting. That way I’m making sure I’m getting that in and listening rather than reading, I have been picking up new things.
That is a great way to use your commute time wisely! I love listening to podcast when driving longer distances.