We MUST Abide.

That's what Scripture tells us if we are wanting to produce any fruit in our lives...

John 15:1-5, 10-11
"I am the true vine; and, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so 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, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing..."

"...If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

No matter how many times I hear this passage...I am ridiculously challenged. What does it really mean to abide? I got curious and looked it up from dictionary.com and the original Greek.

Dictionary.com:
1) to remain; stay; continue
2) to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last

Original Greek via blueletterbible.com:
1) to be held, kept, continually
2) to continue to be, last, endure
3) to remain as one, not to become another or different

Am I remaining, staying, continuing in Christ? Am I enduring, remaining ONE with him, not letting myself become another or different from Him? Jesus says here that if I am not then I will not bear fruit. At all. Period. I will be useless. What is the point of a vine that is supposed to produce fruit but doesn't? There is no purpose, it is cut down so that a fruitful and useful vine can take its place. And that's what will happen to me if I am not being useful for the Kingdom of God. And I can't be useful if I'm not abiding in Him.

I want my life to count, I want to be used for God's glory for His Kingdom purposes. Otherwise it would be better if I would be cut off, so that others who are producing fruit can step in my place and be used by Him.

His Word is life, it is food for my soul, and I desire to abide in it so that I may know Him more intimately and abide in Him. Without it, my life will shrivel up and stop producing fruit.

I can't let that happen. Jesus deserves more than that.