The Lord spoke these words:
"When many in the world are striving and trying to take matters into their own hands, but you My beloved, you abide in Me and receive from Me. Do not go with the flow of the carnal and worldly ways. Instead, flow with Me and My perfect timing for your life. For I am the vine and you are the branch. Without Me, you cannot bear real fruit."
In John 15:4-5 (NKJV), Jesus said, "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. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
The word 'abide' here is 'meno' in Greek, meaning 'to stay, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, wait on'. Jesus used this 'picture' of the 'vine' and the 'branches' because there were grape plants everywhere in Israel those days, and so His disciples would see and understand how this connection between He and them works. At that time, Jesus was about to depart from His disciples - to be arrested and crucified. So, this was an encouragement to His disciples - that He would remain united to them and they to Him - as truly as branches are connected to the main vine. As a matter of fact, the relationship between vine and branch is of constant connection to each other!
In John 15:7-8 (NKJV), Jesus said further, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
'Abiding in Jesus' is also 'abiding in His words'. From the above verses, Jesus actually connected 'abiding in Him' to the idea of faithfulness to His words! And that's how whatever we ask of Him, it shall be done for us! Why? Because when we abide in Him and His words, and let His will and desires flow in us and through us (just like from the vine to the branches), we will ask and desire according to God's will for us, and not according to our own carnal will or desires.
In John 14:23-24 (NKJV), Jesus said, "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. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."
For those who love Him and keep His word, these are those whom Jesus said, "We (My Father and I) will come to him and make Our home with him'!
By the way, very interestingly, the word 'home' here is 'monay' in Greek, meaning 'a place to stay, a place of residence'; from the same word 'meno' in John 15, meaning 'abide'.
You see? For He to make His home with you, your part is to abide in Him and His words!
And you know what? When He makes His home in you, you have absolutely nothing to fear! After all, He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords! And He is the El Shaddai, the Mighty God who lives in you and makes His home in you! Many in the world may be living in constant worry, fear, or anxiety about their lives (or their future), especially in trying times like these. But you beloved of God, you have absolutely nothing to fear! Because no matter what happens around you in the world, you can be rest assured that all the resources from heaven will continue to flow in you and through you, just as all the nutrients flow from the vine to the branches! Therefore, abide in Him and His words! And you'll be sure you'll continue to bear good fruits in life! Hallelujah!
Prayer: "Father God, when many in the world are striving and trying to take matters into their own hands, teach us to abide in You and receive from You. We choose not to go with the carnal and worldly ways. We choose not to do things with our own strength. But we choose to be fully dependent on You and keep receiving from You. We choose to receive Your love, joy, peace, wisdom, favor, and whatever we ever need on earth. We choose to flow with You and Your perfect timing for our lives. Indeed, You are the vine and we are the branches. Without You, we cannot bear real fruit in life. In Jesus' name. Amen."
