Abiding

Jesus does not call us to do things for Him. He calls us to abide in Him. To know Him. To love Him. When we seek the Lord our hearts will be transformed and our outward actions will increasingly emulate His. He will transform us from the inside out.

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:4-5

We must remain in relationship with Christ. The moment we step away from Him and pursue religion, we are unable to bear fruit, for fruit is born by Christ alone.

Therefore, in seeking to be more loving, more joyful, more peaceful, more patient, gentler, kinder, and more self-controlled only one thing is certain: failure. It is futile to pursue fruit we cannot cultivate! We instead need to pursue Jesus Christ, the Fruit-Bearer.

May we fix our eyes on Jesus Christ and allow the Spirit to stir our affections for Him. May we rest in our inadequacy apart from Him and our sufficiency in Him.