Spiritual Discipline

Abiding

Mary McKinney

Jesus wants to be in everything we do and experience. Spend time with him today.

I have a vegetable garden. It’s nothing to brag about, but it brings me joy, and it’s a fun little hobby. My fall vegetables dried up while my husband and I were on vacation. They withered away to brown stems and very little life. As I stood there looking at my veggies that were all dried up, it led me to think about my life and what had happened in the past when I hadn’t stayed in God’s word, when life had gotten too busy, and I felt like I didn’t have time for my quiet time. I dried up! I wasn’t being watered by the word.

I love how gardening relates to our lives in Christ:

God is always growing us to be more like Jesus
God is always pruning us for his glory
We are dying to self to bring glory to Jesus

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:1-8

Did you catch that?

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

We have to remain in Christ, and He has to be the center of our lives. We can’t do anything in our own strength. We will wither without Christ and His word, just like my vegetables withered without water. Just as I work in my garden tending to each plant so it grows and produces fruit, God tends to us. He cuts off what doesn’t bear fruit so we can become even more fruitful.

As I mentioned, I have had seasons of life where I have felt too busy to spend time with the Lord, and in every one of those seasons, I have fallen apart because I have not allowed Jesus into my day or my struggles. I felt like I could handle things without Him.

My time with the Lord fills me with peace, and now that this time is a part of my life, I can’t go a day without this time with Jesus. By spending this time with Him, I have allowed Him into my day. But it’s so much more than that; it’s a relationship, love, comfort, and knowing He is always there.

And, because I spend time with the Lord daily when hard times hit, I am rooted in Christ to better handle circumstances that I didn’t see coming. I am not a pro at this by any means; I still struggle, but having God’s word in my heart strengthens me and helps me fight the battles that want to tear me down. He makes me strong and is by my side through all things because I have invited Him into my day.

Jesus wants to be in everything we do and experience. He wants to use those tough experiences we go through to grow us so we can help others grow in their faith. The hard times we go through are not for nothing. We are to share those experiences and help others grow in Christ.

Spend time with him today. If you are a busy mom, just five minutes makes a huge difference in your day.