Remember to Remain

Remain in me Jesus said.  Remain in me.
I don't know if it's the somewhat confusing way in which John 15:1-11 is written, looping back and forth, stating and restating forwards and backwards, that makes this simple statement seem so difficult to understand.
Jesus, in some of his final words to his closest of friends before he heads to the cross to suffer for the sins of the world, tries to layout for them some simple facts.  He says things like 'if they hated me they're going to hate you'(vs 18, 19), and 'if you follow me, you're going to experience pain'(v 2).  The speech he's giving that's recorded here in John 15, is also recorded in a different way in Matthew 26, where he tells his disciples that they're all going to abandon him.  Peter of course says he would never, but he ends up denying Jesus to his face as recorded in Luke 22:60-62.
In the midst of all of this seeming negativity, Jesus introduces this simple, beautiful statement.  Remain in me.
When you fall on your face right in front of me. Remain in me.  When you're battling cancer.  Remain in me.  When you're struggling against sin with all your might.  Remain in me.  When you're chasing after me, and they hate your for it.  Remain in me.

Note that he doesn't say, when you fall on your face, love me more.  He doesn't say, when you're battling cancer, try harder to remember all the good things I've done.  He doesn't say when you're struggling against sin, pull up your boot straps, put on your big boy pants and do your quiet time.

No he says remain in me, remain in my love.  Don't rely on your love for me, rely on my love for you.  It's my love that chose you, you did not choose me.  It's my love that saved you, you did not save yourself.  It's me that is the author and perfecter of your faith, it's me that is at work in you both to want good and to do good.

We all know that we can be easily tossed around by mood, circumstance and the direction the wind is blowing.  Isn't it refreshing and reassuring to hear Jesus say that your ability to stand firm and withstand whatever might come your way, through failure, sickness, loss and pain, is not dependent on your effort or consistency of love, but rather on His unwavering, unfaltering, ever constant, ever present, ever flowing love for you.

I don't believe this means we don't try, or put effort into growing and learning and pursuing him.  I just think it means that we let his love for us spur us on to love him even more every day.  When he prunes us, and it hurts we remember his love for us is constant and true.  When we suffer for his sake, we remember that his love for us never changes or wanes.  When we fight the good fight against the sin that so easily entangles, we remember that his love for us is not dependent upon how much we love him, but solely on how infinitely loving he is.

As you walk forward in another day, week, month, and year, remember to remain.