Remain

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4

Blessed Father, I pray that the Deeper Still Ministry would abide and remain in you.  Lord, I pray that Deeper Still would stay connected to Your life giving vine, bearing much fruit for Your Kingdom. Amen.

Remain.

 

Remain: To stay in the same place or with the same person or group; to stay after others have gone (Merriam –Webster)

My friend, Lelia, shared on Facebook this week how she desired a permanent reminder to keep her eyes on Jesus.  Just this week, she had the word “Remain” tattooed on her wrist with John 15: 4-7 as her inspiration.   I asked if I could share part of her story.  With her permission, Lelia is post-abortive.

 

John 15:4-7 has been an area of struggle for my friend.  She loves Jesus with her whole heart and Jesus has brought beautiful redemption in her life. 

Below is what Lelia shared after having the word REMAIN engraved on her wrist:

“Standing in my kitchen looking at it, I didn't just see a tattoo, I saw how much time I've wasted trying to do life my way and I just lost it. The tears and praise came as I realized more than anything else on this earth I want God the most. I do. I'm sick of myself. I'm sick of the self-sabatoger in me. I want to remain in Jesus. “

Regardless of how you feel about tattoos, this isn’t about tattoos.  It is about men and women running after God with a whole and healthy heart.  It is about giving the Lord total access to every part of our lives, cleaning out the dead and allowing His new life to flow through every fiber of our being. 

It is about us dying to ourselves and abiding solely in His love.  It is about staying with the person of Jesus Christ, being one with Him and remaining in Him. 

Freedom only comes when we reach the end of ourselves and realize we are nothing.  Remaining is truly what leads to liberty.

Remain.