Transformed

“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 me you can do nothing.”   - John 15:4-5

It’s instinctual for penguins to cooperate within their community because it’s necessary for their survival.  If fathers refuse to spend the cold, dark winters on the ice, there will be no penguin chicks in Spring.  If the penguins in the center of the huddle refuse to move outward to make room for those on the outer circle, the entire group could be destroyed, freezing from the outside in.  If the mothers choose not to return to the breeding grounds in Spring, taking their place on the ice, both the fathers and the chicks would die of starvation.  

But the fathers do stay and the mothers do return.  

Sacrificial living is not instinctual for us as humans. In fact, it is not even possible for us to live like this in our own power.  Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing.” 

This interaction is one of the final teachings of Jesus prior to His death.  Two chapters earlier in John 13, Jesus illustrated sacrificial living when He took on the role of a servant, washing the feet of His disciples.  Imagine here, knowing that He would soon be betrayed, He even washed the feet of His betrayer, Judas.  Later, as He hangs in agony on the cross, He continues to love sacrificially, praying for forgiveness for all those who have harmed Him.

There through His death, Jesus willingly entered the darkness of separation from His Father so that we could be brought back into community with Him.  When we fix our eyes on Jesus and what He did for us, when we abide in the warmth of His perfect love, we can be transformed into people who truly love others.   

Questions: 

• What is your reaction to how much Jesus loves you and what He was willing to do for you?

• What is one thing you will take away from this weekend?

Prayer: Spend some time in prayer thanking God for a meaningful experience or interaction that you had this weekend.  Ask for His help to return to ‘normal’ life today changed in some way from what you have experienced here.