Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—John 15:1-7
by: Margaret Taylor.
Jesus calls us to "Come unto me" (Mattew 11:28) and "Dwell in me"(John 15:4). These two invitations will be the determining factors in the life of every person. Though they offer so much (help, hope, comfort, eternal life) to make life better and easier ("I will give you rest," "you will bear much fruit.") they also determine our options, life or death. Verses 6 and 7 speak clearly to our dispositions. Our modern culture encourages self-realization, independence, and pride in owning our own accomplishments.
Jesus calls for all or nothing. The abiding does not end with the grafting in, but requires submission to repeated pruning and cleansing to live and bear fruit.