We belong
There two things that are equally important in one’s life of which without man would be purposeless. First, that God be with him and second that he/she is in God. When God is with you there is no trial or hardship you cannot overcome. The scripture says that if God is with you and is like a mighty warrior who saves you (Ze3:17). Paul states that if God is for us who can be against us (ro8:31). So, it is a good thing that God is for us lest we would have been consumed already is what Solomon said in the book of Lamentations (La3:22). God has always wanted to be with man. His passion was and is to be close to his most precious creation. There is no greater delight for God to be with us. God made a way to draw all men to him and not just his selected people. The Apostle Paul said that some of the original branches have been broken off so that we could be inserted in (Ro11:17), and there be a part of the root.
John 15:7-8
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
But now that we have been inserted into the root, what do we have to do to remain in the root? Because one thing is that God is with you and the other that you are in him, and so what is expected of us? We are to bear fruit, but not just some fruit lots of it. The difficult task of bearing an abundance of fruit is at our command. Jesus said that the Father is the gardener and every branch in him that does not bear fruit is cut off (Jh15:1-2). The risk of being in Christ and not bearing fruit is too great of a lost. The idea that we could miss out on God being with us is difficult to fathom, so the question comes does God leave a person? Is there anything that we could do to make God utterly leave us? The scriptures tell us that because some men were not willing to retain their knowledge of God, God gave them up to their way of thinking (Ro1:28). Jesus told a parable about a barren fig tree, that when his owner came to pick fruits and did not find any decided to cut it down, but his gardener begged for one more year of life for it (Lk13:6).
God the Father is looking to see who bares fruit in the Son, and those that bear fruit he prunes them that they bear more fruit, but in order for one to bear fruit they have to remain on the vine. Jesus said that without him we cannot do anything (Jh15:4). In fact, he said that if we remain in him and he in us we can ask for anything and it will be done (Jh15:7).
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Romans 8:31
1 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
Romans 11:17
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,
John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesa] so that it will be even more fruitful.
Romans 1:28
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
Luke 13:6
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.
John 15:4
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 15:7
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.