You know how it is when you buy a new car, everywhere you look you see the same exact thing?
Well, we haven’t bought a new car, but my sister in law and her husband did. They recently purchased a Nissan ‘Leaf’ and can’t stop singing it’s praises. While they are visiting us for a couple of weeks, we are noticing wherever we go there’s another Leaf.
My sister in law is quite evangelistic about the whole electric car idea—“why, we’ll never have to buy gas again!”—and welcomes the chance to chat with any other electric car owner she meets, grocery store parking lots included.
I feel that way about the idea of abiding and pruning. Ever since I started meditating on John 15 with the Do Not Depart online community, it seems the words are popping up everywhere.
Almost like there’s a Divine Librarian (as LL Barkat said in God in the Yard**) Who’s in charge of what I read and hear.
Well, actually, I’m sure there is. (A divine librarian, I mean).
Along with memorizing John 15, the words the Holy Spirit keeps resonating in other places are:
- Abide and Dwell
- Vine and Fruit
- Prune (or clean)
- and the idea that God sings over me………so, ‘singing’ and ‘song’ have jumped off the pages as well.
Whether it’s a message from my pastor or the friend I hear preach while I’m on vacation, the devotional I pick up, or a book on Song of Solomon, a Bible Study I attend out of town, ALL of these words are ‘sacred echoes’ (as Margaret Feinberg calls them) of God’s word to me through the Holy Spirit.
So what about abiding and dwelling, anyway? How do I DO that? If Jesus says in order to bear fruit and be joyful I need to live there(abide), can I just think happy, positive thoughts to make it happen?
Uh, no. Vines and branches coexist, but Jesus is The Vine, I’m only a branch. The nourishment I need comes from him—how? By ‘feeding’ on God’s Word, my daily bread. Jesus calls himself the Bread of Life for a reason.
So I’m feeding and reading as often as I can.
And the ‘pruning’ part? (In the original language, the word ‘prune’ is ‘clean’ or ‘cleanses.’ Well, that’s interesting.) In verse 3 of John 15, Jesus says ‘already you are clean.’ Already. (That helps me relax a bit, ya know?)
I’ve tended to think of pruning as a painful process to get rid of the ‘not-God’ stuff in my life. But the way I read this, Jesus says, I’m already clean “because of the word that I have spoken to you.”
His word is washing me and has made me clean.
And then there’s the singing.
In Song of Solomon, the book of God’s love towards us his church, His Bride, we read:
10 My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one
and come away,11 for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth,
Jean, I'm so glad you were blessed….Glad I obeyed the Holy Spirit in writing this 🙂
Divine librarian? just loved that image. yes yes you inspire me tonight and refreshed my soul!!
One of my favorite passages, Jody Lee! Great to read your experiences with it. Earlier this year I read the “Seeds of Spring: A Woman's 40-day Journey” – a reading plan on YouVersion (bible.com) and really enjoyed it. It's based in Ephesians, but connects the same biblical principles from John 15. Thank you for sharing your insights – have a blessed weekend!
A love of words is a commonality for many of us readers and writers 🙂 Thanks for your comments Lisa. I highly recommend “God in the Yard”–it changed my life with Jesus for sure.
I am intrigued by God in the Yard… but I LOVE the Divine Librarian!! I'm not a fan of gardening but after reading this, I could grow to like it (pun intended)!! But reading, now you're talking my language!! Love, love, love words!! And love how God uses them!!
Yes, that word 'clean' had me studying, too. We are made clean by the washing of His Word. I want to remember to abide there. Thanks for your kind words, friend.
Jody! Did you know I memorized that part of John 15 earlier this year? And I was always perplexed about the line “Already you are clean.” It seemed random. But knowing that it's the same word as “prune” in the earlier verses makes that whole passage resonate in new ways. Also, returning to these words after reading Love Idol gives them new meaning, too, or at least new impact: Jesus is saying that we are already pre-approved as JDL would say. Because of His work on the cross, we are *already* clean. Now that's good news! Thanks be to God! And thanks to you, too, for sharing these insights with me! xox
“The more I abide the more I am like the Pruner!” Pamela, I love that. So blessed to know your heart was 'stuffed with joy.' God is good.
This stuffed my heart full of joy this morning. The mental picture of God singing over me is precious. And when we love our flowers, we spend time pruning them. I've always looked at God's pruning as a loving act. The more I abide, the more I am like the Pruner! ~Pamela
Yes! I feel the same way, Jody. Everywhere I turn, God is reminding me of this abiding thing. I love how he works.
What a lovely, thought-provoking post, Jody. First, I've never heard of a car called the Leaf. Now that you've brought it to my attention, I'm sure I'll start seeing them everywhere, too! Thank you also for bringing to my attention that pruning and singing are sometimes synonymous. Makes me think of a loving parent giving his/her child a bath. While gently washing away the day's accumulation of dirt, Mom or Dad sings to the child to make the task more pleasant. Similarly, while God washes us clean, he sings over us with promises, blessings, heart-touches, and more.
Jody, I SO enjoyed reading here today. I love your enthusiasm and tender teachable spirit! Thanks so much for sharing! I'm adding you to my blog list!
Sacred echoes … I like that.
Fondly,
Glenda
God does that to me, too – repeating Himself through different means when He speaks to me about something. (Could it be that I can tend to be a little stubborn?)