245 Abiding in Joy: The Joy of Resting
In John 15, Jesus uses the analogy of a vineyard to describe the life of a disciple. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Like branches grafted into a grapevine, so it is with our relationship with Christ: the stronger the connection, the more the fruit, and the greater the joy.
Put another way: Fruitfulness is the result of abiding, and that leads to joy.
To abide is to remain intimately connected to Jesus at the soul level. The stronger that connection, the greater the fruit in our lives.
Kingdom fruit: the kind that comes from allowing God to work through you, making a difference in the lives of those around you.
Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Looking more and more like Jesus.
In this series, I want to talk about abiding. How do we build a strong connection to the Lord?
We’re going to start with a practice that may seem strange, and that’s rest.
I don’t know much about growing grapes, but one thing I’ve learned is that in order to have an abundant harvest, there has to be a season of rest—of dormancy.
So it is in the life of a disciple. You were created to not only work, but to rest. And if you only attend to the former and not the latter, you simply can’t keep producing fruit, and you’ll end up losing your joy.
Thus, at the very beginning, God showed the…
Daily Rhythm of Rest
In the creation narrative, we see that every day there was “day and night.” A time to work and a time to rest. This daily rhythm was part of the “very good” before sin ever entered the world.
Sleep loss can have a profound impact on otherwise healthy individuals…and on our discipleship. How are you doing with your daily rhythm of rest?
God also established a…
Weekly Rhythm of Rest
God was so concerned that our penchant for work might get out of hand and would cost us dearly, that from creation, He set in motion a rhythm whereby a fruitful life might be sustained – a weekly rhythm between work and rest. Then to make sure we didn’t miss the point, He both modeled it (Gen. 2:1-3) and mandated it (Ex. 20:8-11). The Bible calls it Sabbath, a one-day-in-seven cease work order.
Finally, there is a…
Seasonal Rhythm of Rest
There are seasons in life that require an intensive outpouring of effort. Times when work demands a lot from you. It’s wise to plan for a more extended time of rest during or after that season to refuel and renew for another season of fruiting…and greater joy.
Text: John 15:1-11
Originally recorded on July 16, 2017, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN