Abide in me as I abide in you ~ Mark Balmer

Based on “Under HIS Influence – Changed Lives” 

by Pastor Mark Balmer;

9/26-27/09, Message #MB390; Daily Devotional #2 - 

“Truly Transformed”

Preparing the Soil (Introduction):  “Jesus described how obedient, transformed behavior naturally flows from a life of abiding in the vine. ‘Abide in me as I abide in you’ (John 15:4, NRSV). That mutual indwelling provides us with the juices to bear fruit…Abiding in Christ’s love, however, creates obedience because deep devotion to Jesus gives us the desire to obey.” Jan Johnson, Invitation to the Jesus Life   “[There is] unspeakable danger of giving ourselves to work for God, and to bear fruit, with but little of the true abiding, the wholehearted losing of ourselves in Christ and His life.”  Andrew Murray

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Transformation. The word itself has energy. Television producers have picked up on most people’s innate desire to be transformed and consequently have developed a multitude of reality programs with the hope of transformation at their heart. Whether it’s losing weight or remodeling a house or finding the love of your life, hopeful participants eagerly endure sometimes humiliating conditions to get the ultimate payoff—a transformed life. In each of the scenarios external transformation does take place, but what happens the next morning when he or she wakes up with the new body or new house or new spouse? They are each still the same person on the inside who struggles with fear or unforgiveness or lack of self control.

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response):  Unfortunately, in the body of Christ we sometimes get confused about how real transformation takes place. We think if we serve in the church or witness to the lost, surely we’ll experience an inward renovation… thinking ‘then I’ll have the peace I long for.’ However, we learn in the book of John that the opposite is true. Only when we abide or remain in Jesus do we put ourselves in a situation to truly be changed. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

  How do we “remain” in Him? Our time with God must become a priority instead of an afterthought. If we try to “fit it in” we all know it usually never happens. But even before making devotional time part of our schedule, we must ask ourselves, “Am I in love with Jesus?” If I am, the time I get to spend in His presence is something I long for and miss if it doesn’t happen. Loving God deeply grows out of knowing Who He really is (which we learn in His Word) and experiencing Him daily (which happens when we ask).

From this vibrant, devoted relationship, we find ourselves changing—not because of what we’ve done, but because of Who He is. We become like those with whom we spend time, and when we spend time with Jesus, abiding in His presence, we can’t help but fall in love with Him.

Cultivating (Additional Reading):  John 15; 2 Corinthians 5:17