Devotional:

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

— James 4:8

Yesterday we talked about preparing our hearts for revival. I hope you were honest about what type of soil resembles your heart. The good soil reflected a heart that is prepared to receive all that our Heavenly Father has to offer us. But to have that rich soil, we must draw near to him, and he will draw near to us. Spend some time this morning reading over John 15. Take your time, read it more than once if you must, but let it sink in.

“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

Jesus gives his disciples an amazing metaphor of what a true relationship with him looks like. This is an intimate setting in the Upper Room, at the last supper, after Jesus washed their feet, right before his arrest. It would be too much to put these five chapters into this devotion, but I encourage you to read them.

From John chapters 13 through 16, Jesus speaks to the disciples without interruption. We already know leaders are not good listeners. So, this was a miracle in itself! But he had their full attention. And then, in John 17, Jesus prayed over the disciples. It was his final moment on earth, with all of them together. He spent that time praying for them, their hearts, their souls, their minds and their strength. He knew what the great commission would look like for them after He left.

In those last moments, the disciples drew closer to Him, even when they didn’t understand why or how or what would happen after Jesus was gone. They didn’t interrupt, they didn’t question. They leaned in and they listened. They soaked in His presence. They knew the final days had come and that they required an abiding relationship with Him. They knew that apart from Him, they could do nothing (John 15:5). As scary as the unknown was, they didn’t abandon Him and walk away. They loved harder, listened harder and walked closer to Him.

Jesus desires for us to draw near to Him, to abide in Him. He also desires to speak to us, to spend time with us, without interruption. That is hard to do in our world. There is so much that competes for our time. Sometimes it’s the things that are necessary like work or family, but sometimes it is the foolish desires of our heart that we chose to take our time away from Him.

It is our full heart that He not only desires, but He requires from us. When we draw close to Him, He reveals himself. We can feel Him and see Him working in our lives. Once our hearts are open to receive God’s love, once we have good soil for His Word to penetrate and take root, then we lean in. We abide in Him and draw close so that He can continue to work through us.

We are the branches. An empty branch with no leaves, no fruit, does nothing. It has no purpose. If it does not bear fruit or leaves, what does that mean? It means that the branch is not accepting what the vine has to offer. When that happens, the branch loses its color, becomes brittle, diseased and dies. It must be cut off from the tree so the other branches continue to thrive. Receiving nutrients from the vine is the only way for it to blossom and produce fruit. The fruit begins to multiply. Then we know the branches are receiving all that the vine has to offer.

Many Christians proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior but do not bear fruit.
“I’m too busy with work…”
“My kids take up all my time…”
“I don’t know enough about the bible…”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“I’m too ashamed…”
“I’d rather keep God out of that part of my life…”  

What about you? Is your soul burdened and heavy? Are you ready to receive all that the vine has to offer you? Jesus says, “as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” Is the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart today? Don’t ignore it. Jesus’s desire is for us to abide in Him. Lean into Him today and listen to your Father speak to you.

Jesus, thank You for reviving my soul! Take whatever it is within me that is unclean and make it clean. As I lean into You, give me the courage to seek the support of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Give me the strength to endure when things get difficult, and this world tries to pull me back in. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You. Amen.