Remember to Remain

Make God your daily pursuit.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:1-8 (NIV)

Our goal is to produce not just any kind of fruit, but everlasting fruit. Many people use God to get where they want to be, but then they forget to remain in Him. As a result, they don’t produce the right kind of fruit in their lives.

God is still at work in you.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

You must remain in the vine as He is in you. Even on your best day, you don’t have it all figured out. What works today may not work the next day. That’s why you must stay connected to Jesus, the vine. Perfection will not come this side of heaven. What if the actual purpose of our life is to walk with God and not just do things for God?

“Your destination is not your destiny.” ~ Pastor Eli Nelson

You have to learn to enjoy the journey.

“Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ⁹ God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 (NLT)

The journey is just as important as the destination. We are set free from the penalty of sin through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and we are being saved in the present from the bondage of sin. We are saved, but we are also being saved. This is the process of sanctification. We are not just saved for salvation’s sake, but to become more like Jesus and to walk with Him throughout this life.

Walk with God.

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7 (NIV)

We tend to approach Christianity in two ways: 1) We either think we need to get our act together before we can serve God, or 2) Once we are saved, we think we have it all figured out and we don’t need God’s help anymore. But He wants to shine through your weakness. He wants to be in relationship with you. Prayer is not transactional, it’s relational.

“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵ for each one should carry their own load.” Galatians 6:3-5 (NIV)

You become a better Christian not by doing more Christian things. You become a better Christian by learning how to remain in Jesus. Don’t let pride sneak in by thinking you’re better than someone else because you don’t do certain things that they do. We all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We must obtain daily bread. If we try to live off of yesterday’s manna, it will become rotten. We need a fresh Word every day. We need to spend time with Jesus every day. That’s what it looks like to walk with the Lord.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:20-21 (NIV)

Salvation is more of a journey than a destination. We need to keep on needing Jesus. We have and we will always need Jesus. Keep praying, keep seeking, keep going deeper, and keep remaining.

Remain in Jesus.

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