To find the real answer to this abiding and fruit-bearing business, we simply need to look at it from the reverse side and ask, "Which areas is Satan most actively working in?" Does he work on you relative to abiding and keeping yourself in Christ, or does he work on you relative to producing fruit? His goal is to break your contact with God. He knows fruit-bearing will take care of itself. When he gets you to concentrate on the fruit, he is trying to produce a fruit through you that God didn't intend, as well as causing you to also cease abiding in the Vine and abide instead in self. Instead of producing the fruit God wants you to bear, you produce self-righteousness. The only way to produce the fruit of righteousness--what Paul called the fruit of the Spirit--is by abiding in the Vine; otherwise you produce self-righteousness, and none of us is exempt. You may not think so, but it is true nevertheless.
So Satan focuses on the fruit, but his object is to cut us off from the Source. This is clearly portrayed in Scripture, where Jesus spoke of the people who would approach Him at the time of His Second Coming, saying, "Lord, we don't deserve the treatment You're giving us because we were with You all the way. We even performed many miracles in Your power. We cast out devils, we healed the sick, and we performed miracle after miracle in Your name." But the Master's words are going to be, "Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity; I never know you" Matthew 7:22,23.
Abiding, Yet Not Abiding
Apparently it is possible to abide in the Vine, and yet not abide in the Vine, which suggests that we may be using the wrong term and ned to establish some definitions.
"If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." John 15:6. This verse depicts a time in the future when the bundles--branches that were cut off--will be gathered and burned in the final end. This indicates that it is possible to remain in the Vine and yet not abide.
I went to Websters dictionary to find the various definitions of 'abiding'. I was shocked by what I discovered, and wrote down four different definitions: 'to endure without yielding,' 'to bear patiently',
'to accept without objection,' and 'to remain stable.' We could have a good discussion on any of these, but I think we can readily agree that abiding includes the possibility of yielding while being in the Vine, or fail to endure.
Jesus referred to yielding individuals who are blown about by every wind of doctrine, and yet feel that they are connected to the Vine. They think they are abiding' they trust that they are abiding. If this were not possible, we wouldn't have individuals coming and saying, "Lord, You treated me wrong! I was sincere in this, but I was fooled. I couldn't tell I was fooled, but I was. I thought for sure that I was abiding in the Vine." If this matter of 'abiding, yet not abiding' were not possible, there wouldn't be the group that comes and says, 'Lord, You treated me wrong. I don't deserve this at all. I deserve better treatment because I did all of those things in Your name.' So abiding isn't a matter of feelings; it isn't a matter of feeling good, bad, or indifferent.
Apparently there are a lot of people who think they are connected to the Vine and they are not. They think because they are doing things and think the things are fruits that they are connected to the Vine.
And yet they just spend a few minutes a day talking to God and reading something spiritual, and they think that is being connected to the Vine, but Jesus said, 'Abide in Me and I in you'. I have learned by these studies that Abiding means surrendering our lives and our plans to God and staying connected to Him all day every day by surrendering our lives, our words and everything we do, to God every day all day. It is a beautiful way to live and there are no worries or pits to fall into because we are with Him and He is our protection all the time we are abiding. I love these studies, I need to really concentrate on this more and more until I never go in the ditch again. This is what the Bible calls Sanctification, it is a daily close walk with God, minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day until He comes to take us home. This doesn't mean we will never fall, we live in a sinful world with a sinful nature but we can jump back up and repent and continuing abiding. Jesus always accepts us when we are truly sorry and tell Him so. So don't give up, jump up and keep abiding. Grandma Joan
No comments:
Post a Comment