"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which 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. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:1–5 (RSV)
We all have hymns that we love. A hymn can express the deepest emotions of faith. We can know great comfort as we sing a favorite hymn. One such hymn is 'Abide With Me.'
St. John records Jesus comforting and encouraging His disciples as He teaches them to abide in Him. He calls us to follow Him, obedient to the Father's will and purpose. We live in Him, and He in us.
Abiding in the Lord is to live in the unity of love and purpose within the Holy Trinity. It is the love that unites the Trinity in a oneness in which we are called to live.
As Jesus teaches in John 15, we are joined to Him as a branch is to the vine. We draw our life from Him, and the fruit we bear is through Him. As we live in Him, we live in the love and purpose of God. Apart from Him, even the most remarkable accomplishment is as nothing.
The Father longs that each of us would abide in His love through Christ. His joy in us leads us to bear fruit that blesses God and the neighbor. United in Christ, we know and live the love that is in the Holy Trinity.