Girl, Read Your BibleSample

In John 15:4-5, Jesus told His followers, 

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in a vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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 (emphasis added). 

I imagine that as Jesus was walking along the path with His disciples, He encountered a vine that was bearing fruit. He made a salient analogy to help them grasp the idea that to find their purpose and experience abundant joy, they would need to be attached to the Source before they did anything meaningful.

The problem is that we get it backwards. We all want to do something, when He is first calling us to be.

The God of the universe refers to Himself as Yahweh, the great “I AM.” If we are to be like Him and with Him, it is not surprising that He is asking us to just be. After all, He did name us human beings and not human doings.

We often think God’s will for our lives involves an expectation to do something, when in fact, He simply wants to be with us. He wants to be the object of our worship and the satisfier of our souls. When we abide with Him and in His Word, we will be at peace. We will be at rest. We will be still. We will be free of worry. And this is what will ultimately translate to a life of active obedience and fruitful effort.  

The do is an outworking, an effect of being centered and purposed in Him, loving Him, and pursuing Him above all. Obedience, mission, and calling are all good things, but they are not our purpose. As Tozer said, our purpose is to “worship God and enjoy Him forever.” This God-glorifying, Christ-exalting mission will meet every desire we have, fill every craving, and satisfy any longing in our soul. The inevitable effect is a life fully surrendered, obedient, and not searching for significance in other lesser things. But we must love God first. 

It doesn’t matter if you are a doctor, lawyer, fitness instructor, barista, or stay-at-home mom. It also doesn’t matter whether you are feeling strong, sad, hopeful, anxious, excited, depressed, or exhausted. God is ready to meet you where you are, no strings attached. 

And there you’ll find the Perfect you’ve been chasing all along.