As I was looking through some notes this week, I ran across a brief snippet for a song that I wrote down with the intent of going back and revisiting it later.  It is based on the scripture of John 15:5. In that passage, Jesus is speaking to His disciples on the night that He would be betrayed.  He is trying to pour as much information as He can into them before He goes to the cross.  In verse 5 we read:

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture.  Jesus is emphasizing the importance of His disciples staying engaged in the close relationship they have with Him.  They are to “abide” in Him and to never forget that He abides in them.  To speak of the closeness of the relationship that a follower of Christ has with the Lord, Jesus uses the picture of a vine and its branches.  If the branches are separated apart from the vine, they cannot bear fruit.  They will wither and dry up and will be of no good use.  So it is for a follower of Christ.  Apart from Him, we cannot do anything truly good for God or His glory.  As I reflect on the words of our Savior, I am reminded that abiding in Him is a choice.  It is a choice that blesses us with the opportunity to bear good fruit.  Those are the thoughts that I hope to express whenever I finish the rest of this song.  Here is what I have so far:

If trusting Jesus is a crutch,
Then Mister, I’ll take two!
Apart from Him I can’t do much,
And neither, sir, can you.
He’ll walk with you through the valleys,
And help you climb every hill,
Though others may leave you and forsake,
Jesus never will!

I will let you know when I finish the song.  In the meantime, let’s pray for each other that we will abide in Him so that through Him, we can bear much fruit.

Until next time, stay strong in the faith,

Pastor Phillip Stephens