I was reading in John 15 this morning, verses 1-17. What a wonderful passage. It seems to me that John paints a beautiful picture of what the Christian life should look like. It all begins with abiding in Christ – of knowing Him intimately, depending on Him completely, and experiencing the depths of His immeasurable love. The evidence (or the overflow) that this is taking place is that we find ourselves delighting to obey Him, desiring to love others, and demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit; in other words, we see transformation taking place. No longer do we live under the weight of a duty-bound pressure to perform; instead, we begin to live out of our true identity – dearly loved children of God. Not only this, John tells us that the effect of our abiding in Christ is that we are filled with joy and God is glorified. Honestly, isn’t this what our souls truly long for?
Oh Savior, draw us closer, hold us tighter, and keep us abiding in Your amazing love. As we abide in You, may You be formed in us. Fill us with the joy of knowing You, then use us as vessels of Your grace and glory in the lives of those around us.
