Daily Devotional. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without ME ye can DO NOTHING. John 15:4-5. Here’s a little illustration to try to show just how serious Christ is with this part of the verse. (A story with some facts). Back in 1982, Seattle dentist Barney Clark became the first human to receive a permanent artificial heart, a device known as the Jarvik 7. He lived for about 112 days. Here’s the point. Barney was alive, and he totally, completely, and fully relied on the Jarvik 7 to keep him alive. He was able to move around to some degree, but he had to stay within the parameters his Dr’s had set up for him. If he started to move outside those parameters, he could live for a while, but his demise was soon to follow. Therefore, He obeyed his Dr’s directions. His Dr’s, with care and love told him to obey. Barney believed them and lived. They didn’t need to yell at Barney, they knew he understood. The same applies to these 2 verses. Christ loves us and is Lovingly telling us to obey Him. Everything we do outside of Christ, WILL DIE. But we don’t really yet understand that, because, look at all the things we do and never even look at Christ. We call on Him when WE need Him, not usually when He wants to talk to us. He wants a much deeper relationship with people, you and me, than most people are willing to give to Him. This asks the question, are we at least moving towards Christ in this understanding? Are we growing in Obedience? Are we growing in CHRISTLIKENESS in our Walk WITH Him? Grow, and Be Blessed.
