Hosanna Restoration Church

I get the idea that God wants more than just stopping by to say hi! What do you think? Honestly, it is not so much what He wants as it is, what do we want?

Do we want to honor God? Do we want Him to know that He is our all in all? Do we want to enjoy the fruits of life that He promises us? He promises that we can and will be fruitful if we remain in Him. It stands to reason that His fruit is for our benefit as well as for the benefit of others.

Jesus goes so far as to say we are like useless branches! This is an uncomfortable message that Jesus shared with us all. None of us like the idea of being useless or cut off and burned. We would prefer that this was just left out of scripture. That is why we try to sweep it away or water it down, so it is easier to swallow!

What if we just remain? Why don’t we simply decide to stay? What if we open our arms and simply tell Jesus, “This is what I want more than anything!” After all, the main emphasis is on remaining! The useless branches and burning are simply clarification, intended to protect and preserve us.

It is not that much different from telling a child to remain on the side of the street, because if they don’t, they will get run over by a truck! The idea is to emphasize the importance of remaining in a safe place. Jesus was teaching us the best way, in fact the only way to life. Remain in Him all the time! If you stray, return in a hurry. Keep your eye on the prize!

Luke 1:45 says, “You are blessed because you believe God will do what He said He would do. I believe that it is a good idea to remain in Jesus! Unfortunately, we are often guilty of thinking more about what if I don’t.

I was stopped by a state trooper once, and I was sound asleep at the wheel. His lights flashing woke me up! I stumbled sleepily out of my car thanking him for saving my life as I explained why I was glad to be stopped. I did not ask him not to ticket me; I would have gladly paid for it. I asked how fast I was going, and he said he would not tell me, instead, he told me to go just up the road and get a room and get some sleep and he would let me go. I did not ask him, “what if I don’t?” I did what he said. In fact, I followed him to the place he chose!

Jesus did not have to explain the consequences of failing to remain in Him, but remember, He knows what it is in the hearts of mankind. Psalm 25:15 says, “My eyes are always on the Lord.” That challenges me! I can say I quickly turn to the Lord but, are my eyes always on Him? As usual, there is always room for growth. Joshua said to Israel to make up their minds as to who they were going to serve. Jesus said, “Remain in Me!” We say, “show us the way. Oh yes, He is the way!