Abiding with Sinners
John 15:5 “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.”
Shelter in place, curfews, stay home mandates and social distancing are terms of which all of us have become very familiarized with in the past few weeks. Staying home for extended periods can be even more difficult when those sheltering with you start to get on your last nerve. “Do you have to breath so loud? How long has it been since you had a shower? Are you really going to eat another bowl of ice cream?” We used to ask the pretend question “If you were shipwrecked on a desert island who would you want to be with you?” For many today the answer to that question is “no body!” As humans, we all have character flaws and quirks which will rub others the wrong way. This is especially true when you are confined to the “desert island” of your home. How did the Gilligan’s Island people not kill each other?
In John 15:5, Jesus informs us to abide or shelter in place with him. If you have any self-awareness of your own sinful nature you might question Jesus ever wanting to be in close contact with you. Abiding in Jesus doesn’t mean he tolerates us or holds his nose so he won’t smell the stench of our sin. He doesn’t tell us to take a spiritual shower first, stop being so annoying or quit over eating ice cream before he will love us. He loved us first while we were covered in our disgusting sin. He then washed, cleansed and redeemed us so we can abide in Him. As you shelter in place with the other sinners this week, remember the sacrifice and payment He made so we can abide in His everlasting secure love. By the way, I’m convinced we can eat all the ice cream we want when we get to heaven. I’m just saying.
Jonathan Jones perfecthope.org