Abiding: the secret of perpetual fruitfulness

If serving the Lord stresses you out, read what Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of 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, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (vv. 4-5 NKJV). When you see grapes on a vine, it’s a picture of effortless growth. One day when the great missionary J. Hudson Taylor felt overworked and worried, he read a letter from a friend who had found the secret of abiding in Christ. The letter profoundly moved Taylor, and he realized that his unity with Christ should create joy and fulfillment, not worry and stress. Soon afterward, Taylor wrote his sister, saying, “As to work, mine was never so plentiful or so difficult: but the weight and strain are now gone. The last month has been perhaps the happiest in my life; and I long to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for my soul…I looked to Jesus and saw that He had said, I will never leave you. Ah, there is rest. For has He not promised to abide with me? As I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured into my soul!” So pray: “Lord, instead of me striving to see how much I can do for You, I’m going to abide in You and see how much You can do through me.” That’s a prayer God will answer.