Branches

As I meditated and studied Hosea 6:3 throughout 2016, there was somewhat of a natural progression of what pressing on (radap – to pursue, follow from behind, harass) looked like. Last week I talked about my tendencies to run ahead of the Lord or to stubbornly drag my feet when it came to following the Lord, and how I was learning the better pace—being hot on God’s heels, but always behind him. From that place, I was learning how to get beside him and strap myself in—coming underneath his yoke. It’s a pretty intimate place to be. It might be helpful to remember another Hebrew word from Hosea 6:3, yada. Press on to know (yada) the Lord. Yada means the knowledge that comes from intimate relationship, sensory and intellectual knowledge.

Maybe you can relate. You know how when you’ve been pursuing something or fighting for something for a while you can forget why you started in the first place? I have to keep reminding myself that the purpose of pressing on IS to know the Lord. The purpose of pursuing him is to be in relationship with him. It’s crazy easy to forget that, at least for me. If I’m not diligent to keep yada, knowing him, at the heart of my pursuit, it quickly becomes about something else. Like, being the best disciple; being insightful; having inspiration for songs, blog posts, ways to make money; being recognized as a leader and promoted accordingly; or, well, just fill in the ___________. Pursuing God is not about lopsided knowledge that’s only in our head. It is about fully knowing (yada) the Lord. I’m pursuing the Lord because I can’t live without him.

So, as we yoke up with the Lord, it takes adjustment. It’s awkward, let’s be honest. We tug and squirm and wrestle. But, in the process, if we keep pressing on, we will experience the transforming power of the gospel. As we grow in relationship and grow in the knowledge of Christ (yada), we are becoming one with him. We are becoming like him. As I progressed farther in my pursuit of the Lord, from being hot God’s heels to being yoked with him, the next step was a new understanding that he is the vine and I am a branch.

I’d like to invite you to read these words from Jesus. It’s tempting to break it down for you, to give you three clickable points. But I’d rather encourage you to find some takeaways on your own. Here’s a simple way to extract some goodness: Read the passage through. Then, read it again with this filter in place**: press on to know the Lord. As you read through it the second time, how is pursuit found in the passage? How is knowing the Lord found in the passage?

Excerpt from John 15:1-17 (click to read the whole passage),

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the 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 you can do nothing…if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will done for you…”

What did you see? What did God whisper in your heart about being a branch? About pursuing him, about knowing him? I would love for you to leave a comment!

**The teacher in me needs to add a disclaimer. This is not the only way to study scripture. It’s just one of many valid ways to look at the word of God from a different perspective. I love to look at passages with different filters from kingdom principles. It helps us see the unity and faithfulness of God’s nature and purposes throughout the Bible. He is fully present in every word.

Previously in the series: Pursuit,  One Step Closer,  Hot On God’s Heels But Always Behind Him