Frayed Ropes

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This summer, I spent a couple of weeks at my father-in-law’s cabin. There’s always a boat tied on the dock. This year, I noticed that the ropes that hold the boat are starting to fray from chafing against the dock and the boat. When wind comes up, the waves bash against the boat, pulling on it, trying to tear it away from the dock. Those ropes are constantly being tested.

That boat in the waves, being tied to the dock, is a picture of you as a Christian. The waves of life, the waves of Satan and sin, are trying to tear you away from Jesus. Jesus wants you to remain connected to him. In John, Chapter 15, he says,

I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit because without me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Jesus spoke of remaining in him because there is that constant pull on the Christian to be separated from Jesus. Like that boat on the water, the branches of a vine often are buffeted by the wind. Sometimes they break off. Other times there are pests, insects that come along and snip at the branch and try and cut it off from the vine. There are those forces in your life trying to separate you from Jesus. It may be a direct assault from Satan, a gale of sin blowing against you, tempting you to do something that you know is against God’s will. Jesus says remain in me.

Or maybe there’s an insect inside of you, your sinful nature is just nibbling away at the branch, trying to separate you from Jesus. Maybe it’s your reluctance to study his Word. Maybe it’s your laziness causing you not to gather, for worship, to hear his Word. Whatever that insect is, Jesus says, remain in me. We remain in Jesus by remaining in his Word when we read God’s Word and we see our sin, when we read the commandments and see where we’ve fallen short, yes, it does show us our sin, but it also shows us where we’re being attacked.

Jesus says repent of your sins and turn back to him. Remain in him. Then flowing from him comes the forgiveness of all your sins. Just as the vine feeds the branch, Jesus feeds you. He comes to you through his Word and points to his cross and says there’s the payment for the forgiveness of all of your sins. Points to his Word and the promise that he has given that he will watch over you, guard and defend you until you safely with him in heaven. Through that Word Jesus strengthens our faith in him so that we can remain in the vine.

So how frayed are your ropes? How stressed are you as a branch? How is Satan blowing against you? How is your sinful nature rising up to nibble away at you? Whatever ways they are, cling to Jesus. Remain in his Word, and he will remain in you. Then you will have the peace that he gives. Amen.