Scripture
"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". -John 15:5
Jesus told His disciples that He was going to ask the Father to send another advocate to be with them forever. The word 'another' in the Greek is allos, and it means another of the same kind. Think about that for a moment. Jesus said that He was going to ask the Father to send another one of Him to the disciples to be with them forever. He explained that the Holy Spirit would be coming. The Holy Spirit would be an advocate or a helper to them. In Greek, this is called 'parkletos', meaning to call to one's side, advocate, comforter, helper, or intercessor. There is a flow of love between the Father, Son, and the Spirit. God is a community of self-giving love. We are to live moment by moment in the flow of love with the Trinity.
The Trinity is one, yet it consists of three distinct persons with three distinct personalities. I used to wonder if I was with one, was I with the other two as well? The Holy Spirit explained that if I were with Him, then I was with the Father and the Son. So that means, to be with the Spirit is to be with Jesus, and to be with Jesus is to be with the Father. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. A few verses up, He told His disciples to abide in Him. The word 'abide' in the Greek is meno, which means to stay, dwell, or make your home in. So, Beloved, Jesus is saying, make your home in Me as I make my home in you. We are to make His presence our home by the Spirit.
Here's the truth, Beloved, you are already abiding. The question is, what are you abiding in? Where is your emotional home? What is the default setting for your mind when you're not busy? Where do your feelings go when you need peace? Where does your money go after you finish paying the bills? Where does your body go when you have free time? We will make our home somewhere. Whatever we abide in determines the fruit of our lives. Whatever we give our time and attention to is what will form us. If we're rooted in God, the fruit of the Spirit will form in us. Take some time to think about your life today. Where do you abide?
Prayer
Father, we come before you today desiring to abide in your Son, Jesus Christ. We long to be rooted and grounded in His love, drawing strength and sustenance from Him as a branch draws life from the vine. Amen
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