Remaining in Christ
Even though you usually hear the first part of John 15:5 quoted the most, I’m really drawn to the rest of it, too (the part that says “…If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…”). I love this part because it focuses so much on relationship. Jesus literally spells out the importance of having a relationship with Him and how that relationship is to be a two-way connection.
We are relational by nature, yet how easy it can be to neglect working on the most important relationship of all: our relationship with Christ. In a world that throws every possible distraction at us, we often backburner this work because we're dealing with the more “immediate” struggles and issues of life, often involving relationships with others. Ironically, putting work into our relationship with Christ and having a closer connection with Him has a positive effect on everything in our lives, so those troubled relationships we're so preoccupied with are ultimately brought into alignment by first aligning ourselves with Christ.
And speaking of those earthly relationships, think about your current relationships with those you love. You communicate with them. You prioritize time with them. You want to continue to get to know them better. And it’s a two-way street, right? They make the same efforts back to you. Well, these examples also apply to growing our relationship with Christ. Reading the Bible, spending time praying, spending quiet time listening to what He wants to say to us, practicing the Fruits of the Spirit in our daily lives…these are all efforts we make in our relationship with Christ to get to know Him better and to honor Him. And in this beautiful relationship, Christ offers back to us a spiritual covering, peace that passes all understanding, purpose and identify, and the transformation of our minds so that we can live without being pressed down by worry. In other words, He offers us a way to “bear much fruit.”
This is a topic I've spent a lot of time thinking about, friends, because I often find myself in the above scenario of "backburnering" work on my relationship with Christ. I even wrote a song about it to remind myself of the importance of "remaining" in Him. I'll close by sharing the lyrics. You can also listen to the song here. I pray it helps you prioritize your relationship with Christ.
Remain In You
Verse
What more is there
Than to breathe You in
And breathe You out
To feel Your presence
To seek Your will
To know without a doubt
Chorus
In You we live
In You we move
In You we find ourselves
We’re found in You
In You we trust
Fear is removed
In You we find ourselves
We’re found in You
Bridge
We remain in You
You remain in us
You are our shelter
In You we trust
©2018 Kim Gentry Music
Questions for Reflection:
1. Do you ever find that life's urgencies are a barrier to finding time to spend with Christ and growing your relationship with Him? What are some ways you can find more dedicated time to spend with Him?
2. What does it look like to you to be in a relationship with Christ where you remain in Him and He remains in You? What are some practical ways you see this playing out in your own life?
3. What lyrics above do you connect with the most? Why?
