Consistency

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the Vine; no more can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4,5).

There is no secret formula to a fruitful Christian life. It is found in “abiding” which means “to stay in a given place; to continue; to dwell.” It describes the daily, consistent drawing from God’s Word.

In John 15, Jesus gave three blessings as we “abide” in Him. The first is answered prayer… “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it will shall be done to you.” God answers the prayers of those who sincerely love Him, and who don’t treat Him like a genie-in-the-bottle. If we want a powerful prayer life, we must be consistent in our devotional time.

Second is “fruitfulness.” To be filled with the fruits of righteousness is impossible without consistency. This is where true character transformations happen. People only change when they see something greater or more glorious than they have known. We are changed “from glory to glory” as we see Christ in the Scriptures.

Thirdly is joy… “These things have I spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Think of the contrast with this world. It is dark - we have Light to share. It is deceived - we have Truth to share. It is decaying - we have Life to share. If we prioritize anything in our day, may it be our time “abiding” in God’s Word, so that we are fueled, filled, and faith-prepared, for the day ahead.

(Devotional by Lisa Cataford)