God-lovers and fruit-bearers
It’s really very simple. As Christians we are to be God-lovers and fruit-bearers. That’s all. The application, however, the living out of those words is easier said than done.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible describes the incredible, incessant quest of a loving God seeking the love and fellowship of His greatest creation: you and me.
No being, real or imagined, has ever existed who has gone to so great lengths to gain the love of another. God went so far in His pursuit that He actually sent His only Son on a mission of mercy, a mission of deliverance, a mission of love to win our freedom from sin and to draw us near to Himself.
We cannot truly live this life apart from our Creator God, this God who wants us to call Him “Father.” We can do nothing of consequence, we cannot live productively, we cannot experience true fulfillment, we cannot know true joy apart from a close, personal, loving relationship with our Father God. He made us that way.
Jesus gave us insight into this incredible relationship in John 15. When you read the passage, remember: our mission, our purpose in life is to be God-lovers and fruit-bearers. Jesus said …
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15.4-5)
To “abide” means to stay, to reside. Jesus tells us to “come to Me and reside in My Presence, live there, stay there and have that vital connection with Me. As you live your life, do it in My Presence.” There is no other viable option for us.
Break a branch off the main trunk of a fruit tree and that branch will die. It may look healthy for a while, but, eventually, the green leaves on that branch will turn brown and fall off - and there is never, ever any fruit produced. The branch must be connected to the main tree (or the main vine) to live and bear fruit. There is no other possible option for branches nor is there another option for us in our connection with Jesus.
We must live our life in Him, in His Presence, in fellowship with Him. Fellowship with Jesus Christ means a close, vital connectedness that is maintained by spending time with Him through conversation (prayer), discussing the Word with Him - how you might apply it to your daily life, talking with Him about your life, letting Him be a part of your daily decisions.
When we are lovers of God, the fruit bearing takes care of itself: He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15.5b)
I have good news for you: you are not alone. God never intended for you to be alone.
God loved us first. We rebelled, sinned against Him, and He responded by sending His only Son to purchase our pardon, our forgiveness. But forgiveness, though wonderful, is NOT the end of the story. Forgiveness is the means to a greater end: to abide with our God; to actually love Him with our whole heart - to feel it(!); to obey Him and serve Him as a spontaneous response to our fellowship with Him.