John…on Love

“Those two are joined at the hip!”, we say when we see two kids who have to be everywhere together. They play and work together, they are inseparable at church. They are best friends..BFF’s. They are together so much, they begin to walk and talk just like the other one. They develop a language that is their own. After awhile they finish each other’s sentences, thinking the same thought patterns. When they go to their separate homes for the night, they still speak with each other by sending texts or talking on the phone. This relationship requires a lot of time to build, to be this intimate with a best friend, but we know it is worth it for the joy it brings us. BFF’S…best friends forever.

This is the same kind of relationship God the Father, through Jesus the Vine, wants from us. Devoted, intimate, loving, inseparable relationships is what He asks from us. He will not leave us, it’s not in His nature…but we leave Him from time to time. He wants a closer walk with us, but we take other paths, telling Him with our actions that we don’t have time today for Him. He calls us, but we don’t answer. Our relationship with the Father, through Jesus Christ His Son also takes work to nurture, grow, and produce fruit, but once we take the time to build an intimate relationship with God, we find it is worth more than all the riches this world has to offer.

LIVE IN ME…says Jesus in today’s passage. Be MY friend forever! Develop MY language, MY walk, MY talk, and the fruit we will begin to bear will be more like ME, bursting with MY fruits, as our friendship relationship develops.

John 15, The Message
The Vine and the Branches
15 1-3 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.

4 “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

9-10 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.

Remember Galatians 5? Paul says as we live God’s way we become like this:

“He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way the fruit appears in an orchard–things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

“Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.”

“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.” (Galatians 5, The Message)

Love God. Love Others. Join the revolution.

Dear Heavenly Father, We repent of the time wasted in our relationship building. We are “joined at the hip” with You for this is our desire because of our love for You. Teach us Your ways, Your walk and talk, Your language that bears good fruit in us because we are attached to the Vine. Continue to be with us, nurture us and You live in us. In Jesus Name, Amen