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John 15:4, 5 - Constantly Connected to Jesus.

John 15:4, 5 (ESV) Abide in me, and I in 
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, 
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, 
unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the 
branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is 
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can 
do nothing. 

INTRODUCTION

Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving 
of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender 
to His service. The channel of communication 
must be open continually between man and his God. 
As the vine branch constantly draws the sap 
from the living vine, so are we to cling to 
Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength 
and perfection of His own character.  {DA 676}  
 

COMMENTARY PEARL SUPREME

   All who receive Christ by faith become 
one with Him...  
   So those who receive Christ by faith 
become one with Him in principle and action. They 
are united to Him, and the life they live is the 
life of the Son of God. They derive their life 
from Him who is life...  
   The heart must be united with Christ's 
heart, the will must be submerged in His will, the 
mind must become one with His mind, the thoughts 
must be brought into captivity to Him...  
   The regenerated man has a vital 
connection with Christ. Christ has provided means 
whereby our whole life may be an unbroken communion 
with Himself; but the sense of Christ's abiding 
presence can come only through living faith... {HP 
56}  

COMMENTARY PEARL

From Overwhelmed to Overflowing
   The moment you start doubting the 
goodness of God and deciding for yourself what will 
make you happy, all kinds of problems begin in 
your life. You wind up overworked, overanxious, 
and overloaded - and just generally overwhelmed! 
 
   But God promises you an overflowing life, 
not an overwhelmed life.   
   Jesus said, I have come in order that 
you might have life - life in all its 
fullness (John 10:10 GNT). 
   How do you experience an abundant, 
overflowing life? There is one habit that, if you do it 
every day, will fill you with an endless supply of 
God's goodness: Stay connected to Jesus.  
   In John 15:5, Jesus compared staying 
connected to him with a grapevine: 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 (John 15:5 NIV). 
   What happens when a cluster of grapes is 
cut off from the vine? It dies. The same is true 
with you.  
   God is your true source of energy and 
power. If you try to go through life on your own 
power, you're going to be overwhelmed. But if 
you're connected to him, you'll have all the power 
you need. Or, as the Bible says, Your joy 
will overflow! (John 15:11 NLT) 
   One way to stay connected to Jesus is 
through a daily quiet time. In a quiet time, you set 
aside time to be alone with God and get to know 
him through reading his Word and talking to him 
in prayer. 
   Mark 1:35 says, Very early in the 
morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left 
the house and went off to a solitary place, 
where he prayed (NIV). 
   Even Jesus knew his personal need for 
connection with God - and he was the Son of God! How 
much more do you need the strength that comes 
from daily time with the Lord? 
   Some days you may not feel like having a 
quiet time - but do it anyway. If you wait to have 
a quiet time until you feel like it, Satan 
will make sure you never feel like it.  
   Do you find yourself needing more time, 
energy, knowledge, or opportunity? I want to 
challenge you to develop the habit of spending daily 
time with Jesus. When you stay connected to him, 
youll find your life overflowing with Gods 
goodness and power - and youll realize thats 
all you really need. [Daily Devotional by Rick 
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

Cling To Christ
   Jesus' allegory is simple. God is like a 
vine keeper. He lives and loves to coax the best 
out of his vines. He pampers, prunes, blesses, 
and cuts. 
   And Jesus plays the role of the vine. We 
nongardeners might confuse the vine and the branch. To 
see the vine, lower your gaze from the stringy, 
winding branches to the thick base below. The vine 
is the root and trunk of the plant. It cables 
nutrients from the soil to the branches. If anything 
good comes into our lives, he is the conduit. 
   And who are we? We are the branches. We 
bear fruit: "love, joy, peace, patience, 
kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (Galatians 5:22 
NASB). Our gentleness is evident to all. We bask in 
the "peace of God" (Philippians 4:7). 
   And as we cling to Christ, God is 
honored. "My Father is glorified by this, that you 
bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples" 
(John 15:8 NASB). 
   Make it your aim to cling to Christ. 
Abide in him. [You Can Count On God by Max 
Lucado] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

John 15:4, 5 - The Pursuit of God.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211031-1051.html 

John 15:5 - Learning to Abide in Jesus.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210503-0932.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/