"Meno" in Me: Pt. 2

"I AM the true vine." -John 15:1

"Meno" is the Greek work for abide. Jesus used this term A LOT throughout the New Testament. I think two of the most powerful places this word is used is in Matthew 26:38 when Jesus is praying in the garden before His trial and death. He asks His disciples to stay with Him, to endure with him that night. The other verse is John 6:56, Jesus says, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me." This was controversy at the time he said this...it still is a little weird. The magnitude of this verse could not be understood until after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension. The eating and the drinking has to do with shared life, mutual indwelling. In the physical realm one of the most powerful examples of shared life is eating and drinking, the laying down of life. His death is be the ultimate laying down of life; his resurrection, ascension and sending the Spirit bring onto the human scene the new possibility of actually sharing in the life of God as he, has shared in our life.
In the book of John predominately, Jesus reveals Himself in "I AM" statements. In this Jesus depicts His true identity and ministry. He purposefully used "I AM" to reference the Old Testament and show Himself as the same God who gave manna from Heaven, who is the "Bread of Life" which is echoed in John 6, which is the Word of God that satisfies. He is:
The Messiah (4:26)
The Light of the World (8:12)
The Bread of Life (6:35)
The gate for the sheep (10:7-9)
The Good Shepherd (10:11-14)
The Resurrection and the Life (11:25)
The Way, Truth, and Life (14:6)
The Vine (15:1-5)
When we remain in Christ, we experience all of who Jesus is...all the I AM's, that's how He comforted Moses, and all those descendants...I AM. He didn't reveal Himself as I AM to only Moses, He is still revealing Himself that way today in my life and yours. He is.
Many times we pursue Christianity and Jesus for what we can gain. We claim verses where Jesus says "ask whatever you will and I'll do it." However, how quickly we look over what the surrounding verses say. Only when our prayers are controlled by His Word will He give. Only when our hearts line up with His truth, and we realize it's not about what we gain, but what He pours through us. We don't get to keep for ourselves selfishly what God blesses us with. God's purposes are not merely to make us beautiful plump grapes, but to squeeze the sweetness out of us and thus the lives we come in contact with will be continually refreshed. Sometimes that squeezing is painful. Being fruitful isn't about a show or how beautiful we are. It's all about others, and the glory of Jesus. Our spiritual lives are measured by what the world deems as successful, but only by what God pours through us. This cannot be measured. Only in Him is there life, and in that life is the pouring out He wants to give to help us grow and stay strong, but we have to stay attached to the vine.
There is a beautiful promise attached to this passage of scripture, and it's repeated over and over and over. The promise is this: The comforter/Spirit of Truth remains in me. In other words, the genuine follower of Christ never experiences the condition of not have the abiding Spirit of God. He isn't there one moment and gone the next. He remains within us forever.
A "meno" disciple is a growing disciple.
God bless you as you seek Him.

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