By: Jenifer Metzger
Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit
by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain
in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I
in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone
does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They
gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me
and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain
in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I
in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone
does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They
gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me
and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
John 15:4-7
I love these words in John about remaining, abiding, in Jesus. The words make me think of my children when they were young. Every summer we would go to the beach for a family vacation. While these days are always fun and relaxing, they bring a bit of anxiety. Our family always stays in a condo high off the earth's surface. The higher our room, the more we like it. This let us look out far and wide over the ocean from the room's balcony. Yet, children and balconies are not a good mix so we made a firm rule: no child on the balcony without an adult. This wasn't a rule to stifle them, it was to protect them. When we would make our way from the balcony to the sandy beach, we had another firm rule: remain with us. Again, not to stifle them, but to protect them.
They had freedom to play and enjoy the beauty and fun of the balcony and beach, as long as they stayed within the rules. They needed to remain with us. On a balcony without an adult could result in a child falling over to their death. Stepping into the ocean without an adult could result in being swept away. But when they remained with us, they could have fun for hours. My kids had a job to do, they had to remain with an adult. As long as they did their part, we could do ours in protecting them while still allowing freedom.
Remaining with God is the same. When we remain in Him through obedience and serving Him, He brings us a beautiful freedom. Freedom from sin, guilt, and bondage. Freedom to love and serve. But we must do our part. We must remain in Him. When we do our part, He does His in protecting us while blessing us with freedom in Him.
While playing in the waves, time to time my children a giant wave sweep over my children causing salty water to burn their nostrils. With a parent by their side we could help them up and steady them again. In life, sometimes a wave will crash over us, but when we remain with God, He helps us up and steadies us again.
Let's be women who remain in Jesus and are thankful that He remains in us.
While playing in the waves, time to time my children a giant wave sweep over my children causing salty water to burn their nostrils. With a parent by their side we could help them up and steady them again. In life, sometimes a wave will crash over us, but when we remain with God, He helps us up and steadies us again.
Let's be women who remain in Jesus and are thankful that He remains in us.
It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.
Blessed to be a guest at Mary Geisen's #TellHisStory community this week: https://michelemorin.wordpress.com/2019/03/19/surprise-god-best-interest-heart/
ReplyDeleteThe beach is my happy place. This week on the blog, I'm sharing about why we can trust God with big things, but it's harder to trust with the little things. And, my husband, Scott, has a guest post about Grace at our Fingertips.
ReplyDeletehttps://drmichellebengtson.com/why-is-it-hard-to-trust-god-with-little-things/
https://drmichellebengtson.com/grace-at-our-fingertips/
Good thoughts, both on the need to trust God, and the protection of restrictions. I wrote this week on Scrioture's instruction to keep pressing on: https://barbarah.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/press-on-toward-the-goal/
ReplyDeleteI'm with Dr. Bengtson— the beach is my happy place! Over at our blog www.instaencouragements.com/blog this week we're talking about 12 Ways to Help Your Teen Love God More and we also have a link-up going on that post through tomorrow morning 9am. Every Tuesday - Friday, 9am - 9am. Hope you'll join us!
ReplyDeleteI am soooo overdue for a visit to the beach. Thanks for your post. here's mine for this week. http://www.switchbacks.org/2019/03/20/all-dressed-up-2/
ReplyDeleteI am so very grateful for the many times He has picked me up and kept me steady!
ReplyDeleteMy post this week: http://www.joanneviola.com/2019/03/true-prayer/
One more link I think you'll find helpful, especially when it comes to raising children. https://www.instaencouragements.com/blog/4-ways-to-help-your-child-develop-healthy-relationships
ReplyDeleteJoin the movement and download the free Character Trait Worksheet today!
Get started today, helping your child develop healthy relationships, by downloading this Character Trait Worksheet. The worksheet will take you and your child on a walk through the book of Proverbs with fill-in-the-blanks for 14 verses that will help develop healthy relationships.