“To Do” with Him

 

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. John 15:4                                       

 

I am having one of those weeks where I feel like there just is not enough time to complete everything I have promised to do or know needs to get done. I am sure there is enough time – but I am not making the best use of it. There isn’t anything that needs to get done that is difficult or unmanageable – except when I look at the whole list all at once.  

 

On days like this I know I need to pray.  I believe John 15:4 when it says I cannot bear fruit by myself, I must abide in the Vine. I had not thought much about this verse until I started studying it recently. Matthew Henry comments on the humility of Jesus, God of the universe, comparing Himself to a vine so that you and I will understand something of His character and His love for us.

Surely, if Jesus will humble Himself to be the Vine, then I can admit my need for nurturing from the Vine as a  mere twig on that Vine. If I am to accomplish all that needs to be done I will have to abide in Christ. In my own mind I am overwhelmed but with Him I can bear much fruit. This means if I rely on the Lord, I will use my time wisely, I will be more productive than I can be without His help, and I will bear fruit that will point others to Him. If I can do all that, it would be a pretty good day. 

In John 15:5 Jesus says, “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.”

Actually, my problem does not seem to be the things that are already on my calendar but my desire to do more. There’s work and there’s play – I want both. What I am learning is that a big part of “abiding” in Christ is not to make decisions, even about something as simple as my schedule, without asking Him first. He will help me to say “yes” when I should and “no” when I ought to! His Spirit is dwelling in me, there to give me all I need to produce fruit. I need to be aware of, and obedient to, His promptings. 

This “abiding in Christ” goes way beyond my calendar. When I think of the words that sometimes come out of my mouth too quickly, I wonder later why I did not pray before speaking. I’m talking about those quick little arrow prayers. “O Lord, give me the right words.” “Help me with this one Lord.” I know I need to lean on Him and not my own understanding – but sometimes I do what my husband calls, “Shooting from the lip.” 

It goes even deeper. We make many decisions that seem inconsequential every day.  Should I make that phone call to my friend today or wait until tomorrow? What to eat, and how much.  Do I accept that invitation to lunch? Should I shop today or after the next paycheck? Will I be content with my circumstances? How will I greet my husband? Do I really have to yell at my children for their actions or is there a more effective punishment? 

Often we think these decisions do not merit God’s attention in prayer. But He tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Whatever the next thing we have to think about probably should be the next thing to pray about.  Praying about everything is part of abiding in Christ. We can do nothing apart from Him. To me, that means we can pray about anything …or everything. 

Are we abiding in Christ? Do we let Him be the One to provide the nourishment we need in order to produce the fruit He calls us to produce? Will we turn to Him before we say “yes” or “no” to taking on some new work? Will we turn to him before we make a decision that will affect the fruit we are already bearing? We will turn first to Jesus for the right words to speak in an emotional moment? Will we turn to Him before we act on “instinct” of some new project?  

Turning to God in prayer before we do anything is an act of discipline that will lead to obedience. Obedience brings blessings. So, even on a week like this one where there seems to be so much to do and so little time to do it – if I take my eyes off the “to do” list and place them right on the Lord Jesus then I will be abiding in Him and with Him, I can do all things.