Vitally United

In the 15th chapter of John, Jesus gives us a comparative.  5 “I am the vine; you are the branches, my Father is the gardener.  

No branch can bear fruit of itself without being vitally united to the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. AMP

My heart is captivated by the description from the Amplified Bible, 'vitally united.’  That just stays in my mind.  He talks a lot in this chapter about prayer.  Over and over he says ask what you will and it will be given –if you are vitally united.  There is an old movie where a guy gets struck by a love potion and tells this girl she is his sunrise, his Venus and though they are enemies she is deeply effected.  Later she accuses him of falsehood and asks what happened.  He says simply “It went away.”  I fear our vital need for Jesus is often like that.  We are struck in the moment by our need, by emotion, by events but then it goes away.  The devotion that made life feel impossible without connection to the heart of Jesus gets overrun by the day.  Yet Christ is to live in all we do –and he does if we are vitally united.  I will say you cannot be partially united to Christ.  You can fail and will fail when you are vitally united to Christ, but union with him will pull your heart to repentance.

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

I think of Xerses telling Esther that she could have what ever she ask up to half his kingdom.  What love we recognize in that!  Yet the King of Kings has given us a greater promise:  Whatever you ask will be given you.  We ask and become discouraged when we don’t get what we asked for.  I will say that we may not understand being vitally united to Him. 

It's like our branch is attached somewhat to the vine, but there are other things that feed us and control our growth and character.  We leave a place that is somewhat aloof from the vine so that we have options.  Perhaps the materialism and vulgarity of the world will do us some favor in the future.  Perhaps we will be injured by the thoughtlessness of others.  Perhaps we will need one last hurrah as a worldly person.  Perhaps we don’t want to hear “NO!  Don't go there.”  For whatever reason, we reserve the right to not be vitally united to the vine.  But we still want the prayers answered.

The destructive changes are slow.  We made a break with the past.  Our hearts were clean.  We were amazed at the changes God brought: the freedom, the love, the wellbeing, the strength.  But the lust of the flesh passed by.  We barely noticed that we noticed at all.  The pride of life welled up.  We gave only fleeting homage to its reasoning.  The lust of the eyes screamed out.  We saw that it was desirable and we began to forget. 

What does the word say?  What word can remain in us to keep us vitally united?  Is it really important to obey every time God speaks to our heart?

10 If  you continue to obey My instructions, you will live on in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love. 

God may never tell you not to buy tomatoes that day.  God may never ask you to put that jacket back on the rack and walk away.  God may never say “That’s not for you,” when you spy that music you always wanted.  But if you continue in the love of Christ, there will come a time when he says “DON’T.”   I must say that, in my experience, the human right rears quickly.  Like children we whine and question.  How indignant we feel when our children don’t respect our good judgment or good intention for them!  Yet the tempter comes and says “Hath God said, ………” and we begin to reason.   

12 This is My commandment: that you love one another just as I have loved you.  13 No one has shown stronger affection than to give up his own life for his friends. AMP

Something happened awhile back.  It involved a person close to me and an issue of trust.  It also involved the pride of life.  I was justifiably injured and I was angry.  God said “Forgive and walk away from it.”  I could not for a time.  Illness overtook me.  I made some valiant spiritual efforts, but did not let go completely.  Eventually I had to ask for forgiveness, give forgiveness and desire love in my own heart toward the offender. 

“Just as I have loved you.” Jesus said. 

I said “You wouldn’t let me get away with that and not apologize or try to make it right.” 

And yet I knew; yes I knew.  I have not given up my own life.  I still hold the right to live it as I please some times.  How can I ever hope to be completely and vitally united to the heart and power of Christ in this life?

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

What a simple command!  When asked, Jesus said every command God gave us is wrapped up in two.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your might.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  We accept the first even though we have frailty that will make us fail.  Then like the people of his day we ask “Just who is my neighbor?”  This time he just said “Love each other.”

But sometimes, you are hard to love.  Okay, I’ll admit that sometimes I am hard to love.  But the fruit of the spirit is ‘love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.’  I think the completion of the first fruit is wrapped in the others.  They are not progressive, they are integrated and interdependent.  How can I say  “Love, joy, peace, faith, live in me.  Forget it, self-control, forget it, patience.  What is meekness anyway?”  This is a package.  This is what the Holy Spirit will do in us when we are grafted to the Son.  

The Son commands "Love!"  The Spirit adds power to the love and 8 other gifts are added.  This will change our lives.  This will change our minds.  This will honor the Father and they will make their dwelling with us – vitally united.