Let It Marinate

In the Gospel of John (John 15:5) Jesus says this:  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

That's a pretty powerful statement. Think about it: What Jesus is saying in this whole story of the vine & the branches (John 15:1-11) is that when we daily remain in Him, we'll be fruitful, effective, successful. But apart from that connection with Him, we can do nothing of real, eternal value: zero, zilch, nada.

Jesus is calling us to a connection with Him. And we do that through spending time in God's Word. Jesus isn't just calling us to simply skim through God's Word, but to truly connect with Him through it.

Jesus doesn't just want us to meditate on it...He wants us to marinate in it.  Jesus is calling us to immerse ourselves in God's Word, to let it soak into us & change us.

Think about it for a second: When you marinate a piece of meat to grill, that's exactly what you are doing.  You are allowing the marinade to soak into the food & change it. It gives it a new flavor!

Jesus is saying this to us:  Remain in me...daily, consistently, regularly...by marinating in God's Word so that I can give you a new outlook, a new heart, a new attitude...a new flavor!

I don't know about you, but I need that every day. If I'm going to be effective & fruitful, I can't do it on my own. I need to let it marinate!

(By the way, if you're looking for a simple plan to read & study the Bible, I'd encourage you to check out the REAP Plan by clicking here.)