Light Lenten Reflections

Week 6

Abiding

There is a gardener in West Sussex, England, who has spent over 25 years growing a "family tree". He has grafted 250 different varieties of apples onto one single trunk and root system. The tree stands over 20 feet high and needs the support of vertical planks to keep the branches and fruit from drooping toward the ground, but the gardener is rewarded yearly with an amazing variety of apples.

The Book of John gives us another picture of a sturdy, fruitful plant, a vine, with a single trunk and root system. Jesus claims to be that Vine and we, he says, get to be the branches. And, of course, there is a gardener, a Vinedresser, whom Jesus identifies as his Father:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. - John 15:1-11

Abide, abide, abides...some form of the word appears ten times in the above passage, so I thought I'd take a dive into my favorite "but what does it really mean" book a.k.a Strong's Exhaustive Bible Concordance. According to Strong's, abide means to:

continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for).

Tarry seemed like such a quaint word, so I went to the dictionary for its exact meaning and found:

stay longer than intended; delay leaving a place.

Jesus says we get to be the branches - fruitful, healthy, abundant life-type of branches – to his vine-trunk-root system if we abide in him. If we continue, dwell and endure. If we are present, remain and stand. And if we tarry – stay longer than we intended, delay leaving.

If we were created to walk with God in a garden, what does being a part of this Vine-branch-Vinedresser story mean to our walk with God? Our walk is a call to abide, to be with God. Like the English apple tree, we are many varieties of branches on the one true Trunk and Root System, all potentially fruitful for the Vinedresser when we abide. We each have a potential for at least a bumper crop of God's love. Just by abiding. Whatever we call prayer, our talking to God, it is a multi-faceted abiding relationship with our Creator and His Son. It is a continuing and a dwelling with Him. Sometimes it feels like an endurance, as when the Vinedresser lovingly prunes us to increase our fruitfulness. It is our remaining present and standing firm in His presence. And, lastly, it is our tarrying, staying longer than intended, delaying in leaving God's presence. So nice to know we can never outstay our welcome.

Something to Ponder:

Take a look at your abiding "skills". How easy or hard is it for you to do those things – continuing, dwelling, enduring, being present, remaining and standing? And how are you at tarrying? When was the last time your prayer time ended up being longer than you had planned? Do you ever delay leaving God's presence?

Something to Pray:

Ask God to increase your abiding "skills", especially your understanding of what it means to tarry. (See above.) Ask Him to show you what fruit He wants you to bear for Him and what things in your life still need pruning. Ask for the abiding endurance you may need for that process.

There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed. ― Oswald Chambers