Need Fresh Results? Get Grafted.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:31-32

So going back just one verse (John 8:30), we see that many are starting to believe in Jesus.

But now Jesus is going to put that newfound belief to the test. And in this exhortation, Jesus communicates something critical and essential for every believer to understand. Jesus is not interested in easy believism. He is not assembling a bunch of followers that only agree, affirm, and accept him. He wants them to adjust their life to him and his teaching. They must produce evidence that they believe.

And the way he tells them to do it is by abiding.

This term is perfect because it describes the importance of connection and the resources that flow from that connection.

This abiding concept is seen in a horticultural practice called grafting. Grafting is the act of joining two plants together. You take a firmly rooted plant, open a wound exposing a layer under the skin and then attach a branch with a similar wound. Usually, you tape them together until they graft. Once grafted, the rooted plant freely sends nutrients from its system to the branch.

And this is the imagery of this text. You don't just agree, affirm, and accept Jesus. You must abide in his word.

And then we learn that two results blossom from this abiding. First, we will learn intimately about the unseen nutrients in God's Word. Second, we experience true spiritual freedom. Those who agree, affirm, and accept do not know or experience these results.

If you are not presently experiencing these results, then it's time to open a wound and get yourself freshly grafted into the vine. Jesus says this further down the road in this same Gospel:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. — John 15:5

Get grafted!

ASK THIS: Are you growing in intimacy and experiencing freedom?

DO THIS: Get grafted.

PRAY THIS: God, expose a wound and graft me afresh to your Son and Word.

PLAY THIS: Abide