Finally, snow is blanketing Colorado this morning. It has been a dry, warm January (winter for that matter), but when the snow started yesterday afternoon, it was enjoyable to be out and about in it. And as the snow settled on the trees and the sun began to set, we entered into a winter wonderland that was pure beauty.

Now I’m not a fan of cold weather, so I’ve enjoyed this unseasonably warm winter. However, I must admit that I’ve missed seeing snow. There is no green. It’s all dried up. So everywhere you look here in Colorado is brown. Not very attractive. But that has all changed this morning.

I also will admit that when I moved from Ohio to Colorado, I never dreamed I would miss rain. But I do. When I can stand in the rain, I do so.

So what exactly am I doing out in the rain or in a falling snow? I’m being refreshed. I’m being rejuvenated. The feeling of life is being restored to my body.

At times, we encounter this same feeling within our souls. Everything is dried up. It’s all brown. There’s no green to be found. Sometimes we call this “spiritual burn out.”

Whatever we call it, we are not to be in this place. God never intended for us to be withered. So how does it happen? I believe it’s because we’ve cut ourselves off from the Vine.

Jesus speaks of this in John 15. He is the Vine. We are the branches. And over and over we are told to remain in Him. Apart from him we cannot survive. Connected to the Vine we thrive and bear fruit. But we must remain in Him.

In this section of Scripture (John 15:1-17 – NIV), Jesus repeats “remain” eleven times, “love” eight times, and “bear fruit” nine times. I believe these are the three main ideas He wants us to hear and put into practice in our lives.

So we are to remain in Him. A synonym search for remain renders such words as continue, endure, persist, keep on, stay and linger. Synonyms for the Greek word are abide, dwell, and live.

These words help me to understand the true meaning of remain. It’s always. It’s continuously. It’s never-ceasing. But it’s more than that. It’s residence. It’s permanence. It’s life.

And the great news is that as we remain in Jesus, Jesus remains in us. Now that is a wonderful promise.

We are also to love. Love God and others are the two greatest commandments. And this passage once again points us in that direction. God loved Jesus and Jesus loved us and we are to remain in that love.

We see Jesus’ love for us in verse 13. “Greater love has no one that this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus’ love for us is greater than we could ever imagine. What a shame it would be to step outside of His great love.

And then we are to bear fruit. Actually, we are called to bear much fruit. And if we don’t bear fruit, the gardener will cut off those branches. We will dry up, wither. There will be no life in us.

You see, there is no life outside of Jesus. There is nothing outside of Him. So we must bear fruit. It is our lifeline.

By bearing fruit, we show the world that we belong to Jesus. By obeying God’s commands, we show our love to the Father and the Son.

The end results of remaining, loving, and bearing fruit for us are greater yet.

We receive joy. Jesus’ joy. Complete joy.

We become Jesus’ friend. A friend who is in the know. A friend whom Jesus died for.

We are chosen. Chosen to go and bear fruit. Fruit that will last.

We are given what we ask for. Through the power of Jesus’ Name, our requests are granted.

I don’t see any reason not to follow Jesus’ commands here. We receive so many benefits by remaining in Jesus, loving God and others, and bearing fruit. Why would we want to remain in a withered state?

There is a great hymn written in 1890 that I thought of yesterday. As I sang through the words, I was reminded of how God wants to work in my life. That as I remain in Him, I am sheltered from the “desert” this life offers that continues to dry up and wither my soul.

As you read through the words of “He Hideth My Soul,” I pray that you’ll see just how beneficial it is to remain in Him. It is a great comfort to me this morning.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me;

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

Where rivers of pleasure I see.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

He taketh my burden away;

He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,

He giveth me strength as my day.

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,

And filled with His fullness divine;

I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God,

For such a Redeemer as mine!

When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise,

To meet Him in clouds of the sky;

His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,

I’ll shout with the millions on high.

Chorus:

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

That shadows a dry, thirsty land;

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

And covers me there with His hand,

And covers me there with His hand.[i]

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

[i] He Hideth My Soul, Lyrics: Frances Jane (Fanny J.) Crosby, Music: William James Kirkpatrick, 1890.